Elizabeth B. Prelogar, the deputy attorney general in the Biden administration, argued that Congress was well within its rights to enact the ban and said the Chinese government, in addition to monitoring Americans’ contacts through the app, also They can be monitored. "This is about trying to eliminate vulnerabilities that foreign adversaries could exploit," she said. Outside the court, dozens of TikTok users rallied in support of the app. Given the January 19 deadline, the court is likely to rule next week, which could have a lasting impact on the future of social media for creators. If the ban goes into effect, it's unclear whether or how President-elect Trump will enforce it once he takes office.
“I ultimately feel like I’ve lost everything,” Dunn said when I asked him about the ban. “I don’t think people realize that’s how I survive. It’s like people saying your company is going to It goes out of business and you have zero control over it.”
In addition to the brand deal, Dunn is participating in TikTok's Creator Rewards program, which pays creators with at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 monthly views to create minute-long original content. Dunn, 30, told me that between brand partnerships and the money he makes through the program, he has a few "five-figure months" on average in 2024. "The resulting job and income losses will be far greater than the national security risks they screamed," he said.
The app's e-commerce feature, TikTok Shop, first launched in September 2023, changing the game for small business owners. After some early hiccups, including snail slime, TikTok Shop proved to be powerful; the app provider proliferated outpacing rivals like Amazon, which TikTok ultimately hopes to supplant (or at least topple). Beauty products and women’s clothing tend to be the highest-selling items on the platform. According to Shopify, by 2023, 12% of TikTok stores will be in the United States, and 45% of Americans will have made a purchase through a TikTok store. In 2023, daily sales in the United States will exceed US$7 million.
Renee McClintock, a 29-year-old mother of two, is one of the app’s most tenacious entrepreneurs. You name it, she's sold it: electrolyte packs, marshmallow machines, iPhone cases, blue jeans, vaginal probiotic gummies. Last summer, a video detailing her weekly earnings of $4,764.63 went viral. McClintock declined to talk to me for this story—she wrote in an email that she only does paid collaborations, starting at $150—but she noted that since July, through an affiliate program, her The total merchandise value was $600,000.
TikTok isn’t the only platform that allows creators to make money, but it does seem to be the exception to the rule. YouTube, Instagram, and Twitch all offer various ways for users to make money, whether through ads or affiliate links. But none of them have the capabilities that TikTok has, said Jon Selman, vice president of influencer marketing at BENlabs. BENlabs' clients include influencers Collins Key, Savagemomlife and Amaury Guichon.