As the US hears final arguments from the company at risk of losing its American user base following a ban on TikTok, the future of the social media platform hangs in the balance.
The ban is set to come into effect on January 19, nine months after Congress passed legislation to block the app unless its parent company, ByteDance, complies with the ultimatum to sell, or shut down.
At the eleventh hour, legal representatives for TikTok are pleading their case with America’s Supreme Court, arguing that the government’s decision to ban the app is violation of the country’s First Amendment – the Constitutional right to free speech.
Its lawyers are arguing that the block would result in “massive and unprecedented censorship” and lead to a devastating loss of income for millions of users -including creators and small businesses – around the country.
The effects will be so impactful, according to TikTok’s estimations, that small businesses could face a financial loss of $US1 billion in the first month alone.
Although significant, many believe the financial uncertainty pales in comparison to the deeper, more widespread implications of the app’s closure. Namely that of its effect on creatives, culture and community as a whole.
Social editor at marie claire Australia, Georgia Nelson agrees: “What started as a dance app has transformed into a platform where so many young people get their news, education and entertainment,” she says.
“It’s seen the rise of so many celebrities, like Addison Rae and Emma Chamberlain, and had a major impact on mainstream media, music, pop-culture, fashion — the list goes on.”
“It’s also been a space for people to find community and seek out others with similar experiences,” an important factor, says Georgia, in considering the wider implications of limiting social media access.
That said, all of this is not to diminish the negative and harmful aspects of social media platforms like TikTok – a development that’s also been recognised in Australia’s-own landmark social media ban.
What Will The US TikTok Ban Mean For Australia?
While there’s no concrete evidence to point to a local ban of the platform, the fact that we are about to head into an election cycle means that anything, and everything, is ripe for political picking.
And if history tells us anything, it’s that what happens in America, rarely stays in America – especially when it concerns geopolitical strategy and tensions with China.
If the US is successful in forcing ByteDance to sell its US-based operations to an American owner as a means of mitigating the perceived threat to its national security, then there’s a chance Australia could follow suit.
And if not for political reasons, then potentially for more technical reasons. “I do think it will have a local impact because if it does go through, the 170 million American users will disperse between You Tube shorts, Instagram, and to a lesser extent, twitter/X,” says head of social content at Are Media, Elise Wright.
“Australia, being a much smaller market, won’t be able to sustain the platform growth and will have to follow the Americans.”
As for how the looming ban might be viewed in hindsight? Georgia has some thoughts.
“Historians will study this short but truly iconic time in history and its far-reaching global impacts, and we’ll all be telling our grandkids about the time Bella Poarch lip-synced m-to-the-b.
“It was rare, I was there, I remember it all too well.”
Updates to come.
Related articles:
- The Australian Government Passes Social Media Ban For Children Under 16
- ‘I Dread The Day My Kids Are On Social Media’
- Is The Government Banning Beauty Filters?
