The Clock Restarts For TikTok

Well it’s official. 45/47 has been sworn into office and one of his executive orders he signed was granting TikTok an extension. 75 days to sell the app to a US buyer or have the US government control 50%. Now this is different from the proposed 90-day extension he toted online on his platform. This signals that a sale is imminent and probably already made based on the moves being made by the app.

TikTok has made several changes to the app already since it restarted it’s US servers:

• Imbalanced algorithm

• Heavy censoring of anti-trump posts

• Stricter Community Guild line Violation System

• Flagging of previous videos

• Temporarily disabling the LIVE feature

• Pausing the creator fund & TikTok Shop

Many creators, both working and everyday users, have voiced their complaints about the changes and how this signals something brewing behind the scenes even before the countdown to the TikTok ban started in December after the Appellate Court upheld the ban. My mutual Natalie shared similar thoughts in her Substack you can read below.

75 Days of TikTok remain under Trump's new executive order

Now I’ve already discussed previously how creators trust in the app has now been broken. The current debate with the awareness of the impending sale has left creators with the question: To stay or to go?

Many are reactionary to leave after returning to the app and immediately noticing the change in the atmosphere. The censorship and impending push of right-leaning content has people ready to pack up shop and go. At the same time, some point out that progressive and marginalized voices leaving the platform is what the opposition wants. Migrating to alternative platform bubbles, especially after some vowed to not return to Meta apps, is only silencing our own voices in this sea of despair. One of my mutuals said this and it rings true: There is no safe social media platform. Not even the one I’m writing on right now. The next four years are going to challenge us all and we need to not only stand side by side together, but we have to able to be the voices of resistance. The truth tellers, the storytellers, the leaders. Do not let them take away your voice.

Now we also need to talk about the what if. If TikTok ends up not selling and we end up where we were on Saturday, the plans still stand. Diversify your platforms and migrate your audience. Personally, I’m coordinating my digital migration to where my base audience is. That includes Instagram/Threads and YouTube. Many will say “why return to the overlords?” Isolating ourselves from the majority will not lead to the change or maintain connection to community that we constantly talk about. Other platforms thrown around like Rednote and Fanbase are not sustainable in regard to audience migration or viable monetization for creators.

The future of TikTok is still currently unknown and for now, all we can do is move as planned on the morning of January 19th. Only now we have a new date to add to the calendar, Saturday, April 5th.

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