Biden administration Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar argued that Congress had every right to enact a ban, saying the Chinese government could spy on Americans, in addition to their contacts, through TikTok. “It’s about trying to close a vulnerability that a foreign nation’s adversary could exploit,” she said. Outside the courtroom, dozens of TikTok users rallied in support of the application. Given the Jan. 19 deadline, the court is expected to issue a ruling next week, one that could have lasting consequences for the future of social media for creators. If this measure goes into effect, it remains unclear if, or how, President-elect Trump will do so. enforce the ban once in operation.
“I would ultimately feel like I had lost everything,” Dunn says when I ask him about the ban. “I don’t think people realize that this is how I keep a roof over my head. It’s like people saying your business is about to go bankrupt and you have no control over it.
In addition to brand deals, Dunn participates in TikTok’s Creator Rewards program, which pays the creators with a minimum of 10,000 subscribers and 100,000 monthly views to create original content lasting a few 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 that The result will be far greater than the risks to national security. they scream,” he said.
TikTok Shop, the app’s e-commerce feature, was a game-changer for small business owners when it launched in September 2023. After overcoming a few initial issues, including: snail slime—TikTok Shop turned out to be great; the app increase in the number of sellers has outstripped competitors like Amazon, which TikTok ultimately wants to replace (or at least dethrone). Beauty products and women’s clothing are often the best-selling items on the platform. According to Shopifyin 2023, 12% of TikTok stores were based in the United States, with 45 percent of Americans who made a purchase via TikTok Shop. In 2023daily sales in the United States exceeded $7 million.
Renee McClintock, 29, a 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, vaginal probiotic gummies. Last summer, a video detailing how much she had made in one week – $4,764.63 – went viral. McClintock declined to talk to me for this story — she only does paid collaborations, starting at $150, she wrote in an email — but noted that since July, through the affiliate program, its gross merchandise volume was $600,000.
TikTok isn’t the only platform that allows creators to make a profit, but it seems to be the exception to the rule. YouTube, Instagram, and Twitch all offer users various ways to make 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, Wild Mom LifeAnd Amaury Guichon.
