👋 TikTok goes ByeBye

⚡️Summary

• Who: The US senate approved a bill that forces ByteDance to sell TikTok.

• What: ByteDance is the Chinese-based parent company of TikTok.

• When: The bill will take effect at the earliest mid next year, with potential delays being likely.

👉 The what and the why

You’ve seen the news; TikTok might be banned very soon.

It’s a platform with many identities, all of which true, depending on who you ask. Dancing teenagers, funny clumsy dogs, and your friendly neighbourhood life coach selling their latest course are all types of content you might come across.

The US Senate has long argued that TikTok is effectively Chinese spyware used to spy on and collect information on US citizens. As such, the Senate has been searching for ways to remove TikTok from Chinese ownership.

That claim reached its peak last week when US President Biden signed a bill forcing ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) to sell the social media platform within one year.

What happens if ByteDance chooses not to? TikTok will no longer be available to US audiences, likely marking the beginning of a slow death for the platform.

👉 The implications for you

Right now? None.

The ban will become reality by mid-2025 at the earliest, which is a long time from now. As a creator, business owner, or just person in tech, this means there is no reason for panic as of this moment.

However, if the ban goes through and TikTok becomes unavailable in the US you may want to think of alternate paths for growing (and potentially monetizing) an audience.

🔥 Our take on it

Relying on just one platform to reach your audience is and will always be a risky move.

Although TikTok has seen massive success and has created many millionaires; it still is just another company that has to operate within the boundaries of country laws.

And laws change.

Regardless of how fruitful TikTok (or any other platform for that matter) is to your business or brand growth you should never put all eggs in one basket.

At JF Studio I think of social media platforms similarly to how a savings account has buckets for different categories of expenses. One platform is not enough, because you could suddenly face a huge bill as the car breaks down.

Social media platforms are the same – they can be wiped away in a moment.

👋 See you on Thursday!

And remember, please click reply on this email! We’d love to know your take on the news, and will reply to all messages.