Jamaican content creators worried as possible US TikTok ban looms

 

With just two days to go before social media platform TikTok possibly goes dark in the United States, Jamaican content creators are worried about the implications of the ban.

 

But an expert is urging influencers to market themselves on various platforms.

 

The future of TikTok in the US is uncertain as the popular social media platform is under the gun of a possible ban in that country on January 19.

 

According to a CNN report, the US Supreme Court heard arguments on Friday over the law that could ban TikTok if its China-based parent company ByteDance refuses to sell the app.

 

The report further noted that the hearing did not seem to go well for TikTok, making it more likely than ever that the ban will go through on Sunday.

 

On April 24, 2024, US President Joe Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, due to concerns over national security, data privacy, and the potential influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

 

Lawmakers believed TikTok's association with China, posed a significant threat to the US, as Chinese law requires companies to share information with the CCP.

 

These concerns led to the passage of the Act in March 2024, to ban TikTok operations unless ByteDance, the company owning TikTok, sells the social media platform to a new owner approved by President Biden.

 

As of July 2024, the United States had around 120.5 million monthly active TikTok users, making it the country with the most users of the app.

 

But as January 19 draws closer, Jamaican content creators are worried.

 

Rajesh Mclean, more popularly known as Isaac, is one such content creator. 

 

"It does vary for different content creators or streamers. Some people have more so of a US following. Some have like Jamaican following or more so European. However, for those who depend on Americans to come on their livestream and give them, they'll definitely feel the real effect, you know, of losing the US support from TikTok," he explained.   

 

Influencer Daindra Harrison said TikTok is not her only source of income, but she believes her friends will be significantly affected, as some of their supporters live in the US. 

 

"I have friends who their only source of income is TikTok. They literally rely on going on lives and making money and getting them taps and roses and them lions and them this and them that, and that's how they earn their money," she noted.   

 

Digital strategist Keron Rose explained how local content creators will possibly be affected. 

 

"The majority of the content creators with massive followings, the majority of those people don't live in the Caribbean. They are people from the diaspora. They will no longer have access to the platform and the audiences are going to be greatly reduced, impacting the content creators."  

 

Mr. Rose suggested that influencers need to market themselves on various platforms to build a wider social media following. 

 

In the meantime, Mr. McLean said content creators are trying to devise ways to cushion the fallout from the possible TikTok ban. 

 

"So we already have content creators who have found different apps or different platforms that they will be streaming from. Favourited is a very popular one that majority of the most popular content creators are on right now. So this whole situation is very unfortunate but the only thing that we can do is roll with the punches," he reasoned.