- Title: Influencers take stock of life and dreams if U.S. bans TikTok
- Date: 24th March 2023
- Summary: THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO, CANADA (MARCH 22, 2023) (Reuters) (SOUNDBITE) (English) TIKTOK USER, CASSIDY JACOBSON, SAYING: "I am worried about the potential ban because I've spent six years on the app, kind of building my audience and building my brand identity, and compared to other platforms like Instagram that may be more formal and have the pressure of posting very perfectly curated content, TikTok has given me a space to kind of get my audience more candidly and kind of connect with them on a different level with the things we both want to talk about, both very low key and informally."
- Embargoed: 7th April 2023 11:17
- Keywords: Ban Congress Influencers TikTok
- Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES; LOS ANGELES AND BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES; THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO, CANADA
- City: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES; LOS ANGELES AND BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES; THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO, CANADA
- Country: US
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,North America,Social Media
- Reuters ID: LVA002986123032023RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: When Cassidy Jacobson was 13 years old, she posted a video of herself dancing on the popular app TikTok.
Little did she know then that six years later her Casssidy_J account would have 1.5 million followers on the short-form video platform with fans drawn to her love of dance and hair care.
Jacobson dreams of using her success on TikTok - an app used by 150 million Americans - to start her own curly hair care line and inspire others to love their natural curls.
That dream and those of other TikTok creators may be dashed as many lawmakers pressure the Biden administration to ban the popular Chinese-owned social media app in the United States, alleging the app could be used for data collection, content censorship and harm to children's mental health.
Last week, TikTok said the Biden administration demanded its Chinese owners divest their stakes or face a potential ban.
Jacobson is preparing for the possibility that she may have to take her content elsewhere if the Chinese company ByteDance, which owns TikTok, is no longer allowed to provide the app in the United States.
“"I am worried about the potential ban because I've spent six years on the app, kind of building my audience and building my brand identity, and compared to other platforms like Instagram that may be more formal and have the pressure of posting very perfectly curated content, TikTok has given me a space to kind of get my audience more candidly and kind of connect with them on a different level with the things we both want to talk about, both very low key and informally,†Jacobson told Reuters.
Whether it’s creating all new content for YouTube reels or taking her TikTok content and transferring it over to Instagram, the influencer is making sure to diversify her content.
At a tense congressional hearing on Thursday, TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew faced tough questions from lawmakers.
There are less severe options than banning the app outright, said Freedom House Research Director for Technology and Democracy Allie Funk.
“Congress could pass a robust privacy law and bolster requirements for companies to be more transparent about their operations and practices,†she told Reuters.
She suggests a comprehensive privacy law to limit data collection from TikTok along with regular audits to ensure transparency.
While it’s still not clear if the bill introduced by senators to grant the Commerce Department power to ban foreign technology will pass, many TikTok influencers are advocating for preservation without prohibition.
Jacobson believes that privacy violations from anyone harms everyone. "And I think that we are in a digital age, where even big US companies are taking our information and we don't really know what they're doing with it but they are sharing it with other big companies," she said.
That is a sentiment echoed by some Democratic lawmakers, some of whom worry about the political fallout for President Joe Biden of banning something so beloved by many young voters.
Trans Chicana TikTok creative NaomiHearts, known for her self-love content, believes a ban would dampen her faith in Biden, for whom she voted in 2020.
“We put our trust in someone. Obviously in my right mind, there is no good politician", said Naomi, who declined to give her full name. "I really firmly believe that but I put him in office because I believe in what he stood for and just as time goes by, I think it's going to affect a lot of people's opinion of democracy."
Naomi said she is a bit reluctant to switch over to other platforms, as TikTok has given her opportunities that she hasn’t found elsewhere.
Beyond popularity and fans, TikTok backers believe it provides livelihoods, paths to social change and a sense of community.
“As a trans person in this world, they (society) don’t really care about us, so to be able to make six figures a year because of TikTok, and brands reaching out to me because of that app, it’s wild,†she said.
(Production: Danielle Broadway, Roselle Chen, Rollo Ross) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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