In a controversial move, President Joe Biden signed a bill that threatens the future of TikTok in the U.S., unless its China-based parent company ByteDance divests from the wildly popular app. And although the ban angered many, a chunk of influential creators don’t buy that it will be implemented at all.
A new survey by influencer marketing platform Fohr, first reported by Wired, polled 200 U.S.-based TikTok creators with over 10,000 followers, half of whom make their income from being creators. Of those surveyed, a whopping 62 percent said they don’t think TikTok will be banned by 2025. Meanwhile, 38 percent of people belong to the less-skeptical minority, who believe the app’s ban will go through.
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It may be pure denial, but it seems that TikTokkers don’t want to see their favorite app — and source of livelihood — going anywhere. In fact, one anonymous creator told Fohr they refuse to believe the “ridiculous” ban will be successful, adding, “I think our government has bigger things to worry about than banning a platform where people are allowed to express their views and opinions.”
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But the U.S. government has, in fact, pressed on about the dangers of TikTok being owned by an “adversarial country” , despite sending mixed messages by using the immense platform themselves.
Fohr’s survey also asked creators if the looming ban, signed by Biden on April 24, has affected their work at all. 83 of the influencers who responded said that their sponsorships have remained unaffected. The platform found that 60 percent of creators haven’t been hit by fewer views or engagement either, while 10 percent actually said their engagement numbers have increased since the ban become more of a reality.
As Mashable’s Christianna Silva reports, the ban — if implemented — would impact 170 million monthly active TikTok users in the country. TikTok itself is suing the government over the ban, branding it as “unconstitutional”, and there’s likely a long legal battle ahead. Creators, too, have banded together to sue the government, filing a complaint in which they called the bill “extraordinary restraint on speech.”
