With the future of TikTok in the U.S. unclear after Friday's Supreme Court oral arguments, content creators in Chicago are bracing for change.
"It means a loss of revenue for sure. It means a loss of 160,000 people who follow me for recommendations and just entertainment," Chicago-based influencer Jen White told NBC Chicago.
The Chicago-based influencer posts everything from travel reels to product reviews on TikTok as @.jenwhite. Since starting just before the pandemic, much of her reach now benefits local Chicago businesses.
With a possible ban on the horizon, she's preparing for anything.
"It means a loss of revenue for sure," White said. She's paid for many of her posts and gets brand deals through TikTok. "Every time I see another influencer or creator it's what are we going to do? What's your plan how are you going to handle this?"
Professor V.S. Subrahmanian of Northwestern University's Security & AI Lab said creators will likely have to quickly shift their operations to a different platform, something White is already doing.
"If it does go away, I need to increase my presence on other social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube," she said.
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That presence has helped, with White notching nearly 80,000 followers on Instagram.
While Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical over TikTok's First Amendment arguments Friday, it's unclear how they will handle this case. If the law banning the app is upheld, it would take effect Jan. 19. A ruling from the High Court could come at any time.
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So if TikTok were to effectively "go dark" in the U.S., what would that mean for every day users? And how long would it be before scrolling on endless videos is interrupted?
"So the answer is not simple and some amount of time might be required," Subrahmanian said.
He said to think of TikTok like a pipe. From your phone, you request information from TikTok every time you watch a reel.
"And flowing down from the other side either a response to a request from me or of their own volition, there's data coming from the TikTok side to me and my phone. If that pipe is removed or blocked in the middle, then this flow cannot happen," he said.
If the ban takes effect:
- Your TikTok app won't immediately get erased or stop working. Nor will you be required to delete it
- Over time, because of no updates, the app will stop working properly
- No new users will be able to download the app from Apple or Google stores
President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office one day after the law banning TikTok would take effect, has asked the Supreme Court to temporarily block the law, so he can pursue "a political resolution." It's unclear exactly what that would be.
