(Reuters) – Ty Gibson, 20, of Greensboro, North Carolina, ruled out speculation last week about TikTok that his favorite video-sharing platform was going to be banned.
FILE PHOTO: The TikTok app logo is seen on a screen in this image taken on February 21, 2019. REUTERS / Danish Siddiqui / Illustration
By Thursday, users panicked after a service failure erased the video views, a measure of the popularity of the video. Suddenly, news reports of threats by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to block Chinese-owned apps like TikTok came home as he watched other users flood the app with dismissals.
US lawmakers have raised national security concerns about TikTok’s handling of user data, and said they were concerned that data sharing would need to be shared with the Chinese government.
“I thought it was the end,” Gibson said in an interview. “I didn’t even have time to think things over.”
Gibson shot his own farewell video for his 4.6 million fans, asking them to follow him on YouTube and Facebook’s Instagram.
While TikTok’s fate in the United States is undecided, the news sparked a wave of concern among its devoted user base, who are drawing up backup plans for other services. Some, like eSports star Tyler Blevins, better known as Ninja, who has 4 million followers on TikTok, told his 6 million followers on Twitter that he had already removed TikTok from his phone.
The loyalists are sitting tight for now. But they are distraught: They share videos of themselves crying (and dancing) with hashtags like #TikTokBan, which has 212 million views, and #SaveTikTok, with 315 million views on the app.
“If TikTok loses consumer confidence, then they lose their relevance,” said Alexander Patino, deputy director of the American Influencer Council, a trade association for social media personalities who market products online.
While there are real security questions about TikTok, the Trump administration’s motives are primarily political, making it not only difficult to predict what the government will decide, but also almost impossible to defend itself if it proceeds with a ban, Justin Sherman said , a non-resident member of the Atlantic Council expert group, which focuses on geopolitics and cybersecurity.
“I don’t think the company can do anything to placate them,” he said.
TikTok has said that it has never given user data to the Chinese government, and would not do so if asked, adding that the company has not been asked.
WAITING SPONSORS
The effect of a ban on the world of advertising would be minimal, as TikTok’s advertising business is still in its infancy and brands would easily migrate to other platforms, said an executive at a major advertising agency.
But the corporate sponsorship of so-called influencers has already suffered. A major consumer goods brand put a five-figure deal with an influential TikTok on ice for at least two months, because it did not want to be associated with negative news about the app, said Joe Gagliese, executive director of the influencer marketing agency. Viral. Nation, declining to name the brand.
James Lamprey, a chef with 1.2 million TikTok followers, said the uncertainty has prompted a camera company to stop dealing with him over a $ 1,000-sponsored TikTok video, until there is more clarity on the application destination.
Lamprey said he has started trying to get his TikTok fans to follow him on Instagram. But if TikTok is banned, the impact on your earnings could be huge, he said.
“For TikTok, these brands are contacting me from left to right,” said Lamprey. “They want to put themselves in front of that audience.”
RIVALS CLOSING IN
Smaller rivals like Triller, Byte, and Dubsmash have seen their app downloads increase after Pompeo’s comments. Some are now proactively targeting TikTok users.
Triller, who became known for his focus on hip-hop music, is reaching out to top TikTok stars while generating inbound interest from creators who want to grow their Triller accounts, said Ryan Kavanaugh, founder of Proxima Media, who Triller operates.
Taylor Cassidy, a TikTok influencer with 1.7 million followers, said some TikTok competitors, whom she declined to name, pushed her to build their presence on those apps, guaranteeing her an immediate verified account, which often helps influencers negotiate bigger deals.
Daily app downloads in the United States for Byte, Dubsmash, Triller and Likee have increased, according to Apptopia data. In particular, Dubsmash more than doubled to more than 46,000 downloads on Thursday, while Byte shot up to more than 28,000 downloads on Thursday, compared to just 3,400 the day before.
Dylan Tate, an 18-year-old TikTok user from Greenville, South Carolina with 1.2 million followers, has been promoting reasons why users should move to Byte in his recent TikTok videos, including that Byte gives 100% of advertising revenue to its creators.
“I’ve been commenting on people’s TikToks to tell them to go to Byte. Now people do it for themselves, “he said.
Reports by Sheila Dang and Arriana McLymore, additional reports by Echo Wang; Kenneth Li and Nick Zieminski edition
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