TikTok is Getting Banned. Here's What You Should Know.
Rednote, also known as Xiaohongshu or its direct English translation, ‘Little Red Book’ has become the most downloaded free app on the Apple app store as US Tiktok users prepare for the looming ban.
How did we get here?
Since 2019, there have been various issues regarding TikTok (and its parent company, ByteDance)’s use of user data. In 2020, India banned the app, and former President Donald Trump announced that he was considering banning TikTok as retaliation for China’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. As TikTok rose in popularity and exposés from the Wall Street Journal and BuzzFeed surfaced, the US government began to raise national security concerns about TikTok and its use of user data, despite TikTok announcing that they were migrating its user data to U.S. servers managed by the U.S. tech firm Oracle. In February of 2023, the White House gave government agencies 30 days to remove TikTok from all government-issued devices. Just a month later, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was grilled in a 6-hour-long congressional hearing, asserting that TikTok and ByteDance were not tools of the Chinese government. A year later, in March of 2024, the TikTok ban-or-sell bill was passed through Congress. The bill would essentially force TikTok to be sold to an American company or else face a ban in their biggest market. In April 2024, the Senate passed the bill and President Biden also signed off on it. TikTok and ByteDance retaliated by arguing that the forced ban was unconstitutional, bringing the case to the hands of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the ban did not infringe on the First Amendment rights.
What will happen next?
If the sale is not made before Jan 19, the ban will go into effect. What this ‘ban’ entails has not yet been made clear. The app will certainly not be available to download from Apple and Google app stores however, it is not clear whether it will go dark or allow users who already have the app to continue using it. Nevertheless, the app in the United States will not undergo any software updates, meaning eventually, it will stop working.
As the deadline looms, it is no wonder that people are turning to alternative platforms. An interesting approach that many have chosen to take, however, is to join RedNote. While China has its own version of TikTok (known as ‘Douyin’), RedNote has risen in popularity in China and is comparable to TikTok in the US. The platforms and algorithms also operate similarly, making it a familiar space for many Americans. This pivot to a Chinese-owned app is in direct retaliation to the US government. Users on TikTok joke about how the US government is afraid of China stealing their data yet millions of users are now willingly switching over to a Chinese-owned app that likely has much more and easier access to their data.
It is also important to mention that President-elect Trump is opposed to the TikTok ban and has been claiming to be able to find a solution once he becomes president (24 hours after the ban goes into effect).
The future of TikTok is still unclear but it is very clear that creators and users are not happy about recent developments regarding the app’s ban.
What does this mean for you?
For content creators, this is the best time to start anew and learn to adapt and pivot. People have talked about repurposing content for years as short-form videos became more popular but as the US shifts to new apps entirely, it would be comical to not take advantage of the lack of content and reupload videos. Also, if there is a new niche you’d like to explore, this is a great time to do it and test out the waters. Those early adopters of TikTok (the ones who weren’t afraid of scrutiny when those who posted on TikTok were still considered ‘cringey’) have more often than not, become influencers. This app ban is going to change the social media landscape of the United States so it is crucial to be up to date with all the new things we are going to be seeing as a result. It is never too late but it is also never too early to start. Some popular new apps people are choosing to pivot to are RedNote, Neptune, and Lemon8. At the very least, I would try to reserve usernames on all of these platforms in the event that TikTok does get banned. Of course, we also can’t forget about Instagram where many already have established presences on there. For Instagram, it is much harder to ‘go viral’ however, it doesn’t hurt to direct your viewers to follow you on there to stay updated on your whereabouts in the meantime.
As users, the content you consume on these new apps will likely never be the same as what you consume on TikTok. Perhaps this app ban came at the perfect time, as ‘brain rot’ has been flooding the app, it may be time to start afresh and do a social media cleanse. Make sure to follow all of your favourite creators on the other platforms they are active on. Many are unsure of what to do and where to pivot as TikTok has been such a vital part of their growth. Show them some love and enjoy all the new content headed your way!
