Look who just isn’t freaking out. Since July, TikTok customers have braced for a threatened ban of the ultra-popular short-form video app in the US, with some opening accounts on rival platforms and inspiring associates to do the identical.
Then early on Friday Reuters broke the information that the US authorities was preparing to block new customers from downloading the Chinese language-owned app from American app shops by September 20. Because the information filtered via their social media, teenagers greeted it wearily however with out the tears and the emotional outpouring anticipated of TikTok’s 100 million, largely younger followers.
“Loads of TikTok-ers are usually not tremendous worked-up about this,” mentioned Lauren Harrison, a 15-year outdated TikTok consumer from Omaha, Nebraska with over 127,000 followers on the app.
Like many others, Harrison mentioned she had beforehand opened accounts on different platforms, in preparation for a complete ban. She has since deleted these apps off her telephone.
“As a result of TikTok just isn’t gone, I really feel like folks do not feel the necessity to obtain (rival apps),” she mentioned.
US President Donald Trump signed an govt order on Aug. 6, setting a 45-day deadline for TikTok to be offered to an American firm, citing issues over nationwide safety.
Whereas new US downloads of TikTok won’t be allowed starting Sunday, TikTok nonetheless has some weeks to persuade Trump to carry his risk to impose a complete ban from Nov. 12.
Carter Kench, a 17-year outdated from Atlanta, Georgia, with 2.four million TikTok followers, mentioned he had been nervous in July when he first heard about the specter of a ban. However within the months since then, “nothing occurs,” he mentioned.
“It is sort of just like the boy who cried wolf,” he mentioned.
Manufacturers that strike sponsorship offers with main TikTok stars are additionally underwhelmed by the continuing saga, selecting to proceed their work on the app till a ban seems, mentioned Alessandro Bogliari, chief govt of The Influencer Advertising and marketing Manufacturing unit, an company that works with manufacturers and social media influencers.
“Individuals are a bit confused and bored by all this drama. They are saying that till one thing occurs, let’s proceed,” he mentioned.
A number of movies with hashtags that TikTok customers have used to debate the specter of a ban, together with ‘TikTokBan,’ and ‘SaveTikTok,’ reached practically 2 billion views by Friday. However a lot of these had been posted in July.
“It completely makes me really feel fatigued,” mentioned Jen Ruiz, a journey blogger with practically 131,000 TikTok followers.
A TikTok ban has been threatened “no less than 4 occasions,” she mentioned. “What number of extra?”
For customers who’ve constructed up an enormous TikTok following, “I am certain for a few of them this was the day of reckoning,” mentioned Joe Gagliese, CEO of influencer advertising and marketing company Viral Nation. Influencers might want to diversify their viewers throughout different apps, he mentioned.
The largest stars have already plotted potential exit methods. Charli D’Amelio, the most-followed TikTok star with 87.5 million followers, not too long ago started posting movies to her account on Triller, a U.S.-owned TikTok rival.
Ought to the federal government clarify why Chinese language apps had been banned? We mentioned this on Orbital, our weekly expertise podcast, which you’ll subscribe to by way of Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or simply hit the play button under.
