The Biden administration’s attorney general, Elizabeth B. Prelogar, argued that Congress had every right to enact a ban, saying the Chinese government could spy on Americans, as well as their contacts, through TikTok. “This is about trying to close a vulnerability that a foreign nation’s adversary could exploit,” he said. Outside the courtroom, dozens of TikTok users united in support of the application. Given the January 19 deadline, the court will likely make a decision next week, a decision that could have lasting ramifications on the future of social media for creators. If it goes into effect, it is still unclear if or how President-elect Trump will enforce the ban once he takes office.
“Ultimately, I would feel like I lost everything,” Dunn says when I ask him about the ban. “I don’t think people realize that’s how I keep a roof over my head. “It’s like people saying your company is about to close and you have no control over it.”
In addition to brand deals, Dunn participates in TikTok’s creator rewards program, which pay the creators with a minimum of 10,000 followers and 100,000 monthly views to make original content lasting minutes. Between the brand partnerships and the money made through the program, Dunn, who is 30, tells me he averaged several “five-figure months” in 2024. “The loss of jobs and income from this will be far greater than the risks.” for national security. “They are screaming,” he says.
TikTok Shop, the app’s e-commerce feature, was a game-changer for small business owners when it debuted in September 2023. After weathering some initial hiccups, including, most notably, snail slime, TikTok Shop proved be formidable; the application increase in sellers it surpassed competitors like Amazon, whom TikTok ultimately wants to replace (or at least dethrone). Women’s clothing and beauty products are typically the best-selling items on the platform. According buyBy 2023, 12 percent of TikTok stores were based in the US, with 45 percent of Americans who have purchased through TikTok Shop. In 2023Daily sales in the United States exceeded $7 million.
Renee McClintock, a 29-year-old mother of two, is one of the app’s most tenacious entrepreneurs. You name it, she’s sold it: electrolyte packets, a cotton candy machine, iPhone cases, jeans, probiotic vaginal gummies. Last summer, a video detailing how much he had earned in a week ($4,764.63) went viral. McClintock declined to speak to me for this story (he only does paid collaborations, starting at $150, he wrote in an email), but noted that since July, through the affiliate program, his gross merchandise volume (GMV) was of 600,000 dollars.
TikTok isn’t the only platform that allows creators to make money, but it seems to be the exception to the rule. YouTube, Instagram, and Twitch offer several ways for users to earn money, whether through ads or affiliate links. But none of them have what TikTok has, says Jon Selman, vice president of influencer marketing at BenLabs, an agency whose clients include influencers. Colin Keys, wildlivesand Amaury Guichón.