The issue of banning TikTok in America has been in the news for quite a while but now it seems that the popular social media app with over 120.5 million users in the US will be banned next week!

The American government has been accusing the Chinese government of using TikTok as a tool to spy on the activities of American citizens. In an article by The Guardian, the FBI director, Christopher A. Wray said, “This is a tool that is ultimately within the control of the Chinese government, and to me, it screams out with national security concerns.”

In a response, the Chinese foreign ministry  accused the US itself of spreading disinformation about TikTok’s potential security risks following a report in the Wall Street Journal that the committee on foreign investment in the US – part of the treasury department – was threatening banning TikTok in America unless its Chinese owners divest their stake.

In this ‘Big Boys’ feud, it begs the question, ”Is this just a power struggle?”  because as the saying goes ‘when two elephants fight, the grass suffer’, a lot of Americans have built a livelihood around the social media platform and all that is about to go with the wind.

Is China Or America Being A Hypocrite?

The American government portray themselves to be the world’s ambassador for ‘free speech’ but is banning a social media network really advocating for free speech?  Does that not go against the beliefs and popular saying by Americans, ”This is a free country!”

However,  what the American state has been trying to tell many of those creators and users of the popular Chinese-owned social messaging app, Tiktok, is that the Chinese government has long banned American Internet companies. That includes Google, YouTube, X, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook – because they all run afoul of China’s rules on data collection and the type of content that is being shared.

In 2020, during the last Trump administration there was a strong motion underway to banning TikTok in America and also to ban other Chinese apps such as Ali Pay and WeChat, I guess the demise of TikTok in America has been imminent.

Both governments are worried about data collection and these networks used as spy tools, however both governments have denied and the US government argued strongly that apps like Google, YouTube, X, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook cannot be used as a spy tool the same way the Chinese government and ByteDance (TikTok parent company) argue that Tiktok cannot be used as a spy tool.

Is somebody hiding something?

What Date Will TikTok Be Banned In The U.S.?

The set date for a sale or ban of TikTok in the U.S. is January 19th, 2025! A years-long battle over TikTok’s fate in the U.S. could finally end on January 19th, 2025, with the deadline for a sale or ban of the popular video-sharing platform

The Supreme Court of U.S. could issue a ruling any day now, though it appears unlikely to deem the sale-or-ban law unconstitutional, even after President-elect Trump asked for time to resolve the matter. The law passed last year requires ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to either sell the app to a U.S. company or shut down operations in the country by January 19th, 2025. The deadline could be extended 100 days if a sale is underway.

• The bill passed with broad bipartisan support and was signed by President Biden.
• TikTok and a group of its users challenged the law, saying it violates their First Amendment rights.
• Congress said the law was necessary because ByteDance is controlled by the Chinese government, and that its ability to harvest vast amounts of personal information from American users is a national security threat.

Jan. 10, 2025: SCOTUS hearing

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments about the law on January 10, 2025 and appeared inclined to uphold it.

• Most of the justices homed in on one central point, Axios’ Sam Baker reports: The law would allow TikTok to keep operating if it used an algorithm other than the one created by ByteDance. And ByteDance, as a Chinese company, doesn’t have First Amendment rights.
• “The law doesn’t say TikTok has to shut down. It says ByteDance has to divest,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett said.

Dec. 27, 2024: Trump asks the supreme court for ban pause

This is surprising because his last administration pushed for the social media app to be banned alongside other Chinese owned applications. However, n a last-ditch effort, Trump asked the Supreme Court to pause the TikTok ban.

• His argument was not rooted in any of the First Amendment or national security concerns at issue in the case. Rather, he argued the high court should allow him the time to “resolve the dispute through political means.”
• “President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the Government,” the legal brief states.

Does Banning TikTok In America Really Go Against Free Speech? 

As earlier pointed out in the article, America is the ‘world ambassador’ for free speech and this move by the U.S. government seems to go against that belief.

In September 2024, TikTok argued in court that banning the platform would have a “staggering” impact on the free speech of its over 120 million U.S users. A counter argument by the American government was that the matters of national security were at stake as it is suspected that the platform is being used by the Chinese government as a spy tool. Surely, the matters of national security supersede the concept of free speech and is the speech really free if it can be used against the American people if all that data is in the wrong hands?

Hearing arguments in a momentous clash of free speech and national security concerns, the justices a the court hearings, seemed persuaded by arguments that the national security threat posed by the company’s connections to China override concerns about restricting the speech either of TikTok or its over 120 million users in the United States which is in line with a 2023 survey by Pew Research Centre which says about six-in-ten Americans (59%) see TikTok as a major or minor threat to national security in the United States. Also according to this research, adults who do not use TikTok are more likely than those who do to consider it a national security risk. Still, about four-in-ten TikTok users say the platform is a threat to the country. Among users, those ages 30 and older are more likely than those 18 to 29 see the platform as a threat (47% vs. 34%). Republican TikTok users are also more likely than Democratic users to hold this view (48% vs. 40%).

America has had its fair share of national security issues with its national secrets being leaked, the popular one of recent times was the Edward Snowden story. Do you think matters of suspected national security breach should be sacrificed on the altar of free speech? Can we really blame America for this move?

Will Trump Go With Or Reverse The TikTok Ban?: The Future Of TikTok In The US

On the 20th January, 2025, history will repeat itself as it did back in 2017 and Donald Trump will be sworn in again as the 47th President of the United States Of  America.

In 2020, during Trump’s first tenure as the President of America, there were strong indications that the social media app, TikTok was going to be banned alongside other Chinese-owned apps operating in the U.S. such as Ali Pay and WeChat. This stemmed from the fact that American owned apps such as Google, Facebook and Whatsapp were already banned in China.

It seemed like bad timing for the Chinese-owned social media giant that an ‘enemy’ is returning! However TikTok could not believe its luck when the returning President, Donald Trump called for a delay in the ban of the network, WOW!

On 27th December, 2024 the US President-elect Donald Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to delay an upcoming TikTok ban while he works on a “political resolution”. His lawyer filed a legal brief on Friday with the court that says Trump “opposes banning TikTok” and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office”. This comes as a shocker as this is a complete opposite turn from his administration’s standpoint in 2020

Why?

We can recall that during the 2024 election season in America, Donald Trump gained immense popularity on the platform which has over 120 million American users which might have helped his chances during the title race. Is this payback time? Or is President-Elect Donald Trump preparing for the next election cycle a little too early based o the support he got during the last one?

Also during the elections, the second time President-Elect was also popular on the X platform with great outspoken support from the social media giant’s billionaire CEO, Elon Musk, who has also voiced an opinion on the proposed TikTok ban.

” TikTok should not be banned in the USA, even though such a ban may benefit the X platform. Doing so would would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression. It is not what America stands for.” The X platform CEO tweeted in April,2024.

Trump and Elon, birds of the same feather? Well they are billionaires, LOL

What Does Banning Of TikTok In America Mean For Marketing?

The American TikTok market is the largest with a whooping 120 million users which is like candy for any seller or marketing professional. From that population a lot of segmentation can be made and subsequently, a lot of sales and now that market just goes to the wind?  It is going to be tough for sellers and marketing professionals who target the American population through TikTok.

Prepare for Shifts in Consumer Engagement: Marketers must anticipate and plan for changes in how younger audiences engage with content. The TikTok ban could significantly alter digital consumption habits, necessitating a pivot to alternative platforms where these demographics are likely to migrate.

Rethink Influencer Partnerships: With TikTok’s potential exit, the value and reach of influencers who primarily use the platform may diminish. Marketers need to reassess their influencer strategy, exploring partnerships across a broader range of platforms to maintain influence and engagement.

Diversify Marketing Channels: To mitigate the impact of the TikTok Ban, marketers should diversify their social media presence and content distribution strategies. Investing in emerging platforms and enhancing presence on established ones like YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat can safeguard against future platform-specific disruptions.

This is undoubtedly a big setback in the marketing world and for marketing professionals. Marketing professionals in America have to be prepared to explore all other social media networks in order to meet marketing KPIs and other sources of potential customers.

America Waves TikTok Goodbye: What’s the Alternative? RedNote? 

The most surprising and funny thing is going on right now with tis TikTok an and it seems the American government are the butt of the jokes!  Ahead of the TikTok ban or sale on 19th January, 2025. An alternative social media network perceived to be the TikTok replacement , RedNote, has already gotten millions of downloads from app stores across the U.S.

What is RedNote?

RedNote is a social media platform that includes images, short-form videos, community building tools, shopping and more. It is not a one-to-one TikTok clone, and it is not owned by ByteDance. It is owned by Shanghai-based Xingyin Information Technology.

Isn’t this a fruitless effort by the American government, if millions of American users are downloading another Chinese-owned social media platform?

RedNote is a Shanghai-based Chinese-language social media app that offers a little bit of everything Americans are used to in a social media app. Users can share videos, post pictures, make text posts and access a host of shopping features.

The interface is different from TikTok’s in that a video does not immediately start playing upon the app’s opening and users must log in to begin using it. However, it is similar in that it serves content it thinks each user will like.  Although RedNote has been available in English, some users reported that it appeared to be more accessible for its American user base as its popularity grew.

Well let’s see how these events play out, will RedNote be the next Threads, millions of downloads but no use? We will find out!