220,000 Americans live exclusively on income generated by the TikTok application.
Since this Sunday, TikTok has stopped working in the United States and has even disappeared from the Google and Apple application stores due to the entry into force of a law banning the application in the country.
Just before the application was closed and before their temporary migration to other platforms, American influencers shouted their anger. Thus, this American woman is deprived, according to her, of “income and means of subsistence”. And Emily Senn, in tears, promised the American government: “I will never forgive you and I will never trust you again.”
@emilyesenn It’s my turn to cry on the internet about the TikTok ban #tiktokban #cryingintheclub #talking ♬ original sound – Emily Senn
“Thank you old bastard!”
Same anger for Kelsey Pumel with 2.7 million followers. “F**k this country,” she said in a video and sent unfriendly greetings to the Supreme Court justices who have not lifted the ban on the app in recent days: “Thank you a lot, old fart.”
Another TikTok star, Emily Senn sobs in front of the camera and confides in her 358,000 followers. According to her, TikTok helped her “get through difficult life situations” like “the pandemic, job loss, divorce” and “all the crap that's happened to me in the last five years.”
For these influencers, TikTok is more than just an app, “it's truly a feeling of community that doesn't exist anywhere else on the internet.”
@katiefanggg Ending this era with a good cry
♬ original sound – Katie Fang
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According to the New York Post, in 2023, there would be 224,000 people on American soil who would earn part or all of their income from content produced for the application. But TikTok is also an invaluable source of income, being the platform that best monetizes its users' content.
“Maybe a blessing in disguise”
Tenniswoman Coco Gauff, world No.3, also had a message for TikTok after her qualification for the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, this Sunday against Belinda Bencic.
On the TV camera moving toward her, she wrote “RIP TikTok.” At a press conference, she indicated, despite her presence in Australia, that she had not been able to access the application after her match. “I hope the app comes back… It's really sad. I've been on it since it was called Musical.ly. I love TikTok. It's like an escape. Honestly, it's what I do before games. I guess it'll force me to read more books – to be more productive, maybe it's a blessing in disguise.”
According to the Department of Justice, TikTok poses a serious threat to national security because of its access to the personal data of many Americans, potentially exploitable by the Chinese government.
TikTok denies having shared or wants to share the data of American users and denounces an unconstitutional law violating the right to freedom of expression.
The Chinese social network called on President Joe Biden in a press release on Friday to intervene to prevent the platform from closing in the United States. The White House responded on Saturday that the fate of the application was now in the hands of the Trump administration. This Sunday, the latter indicated that it would offer an operating extension to TikTok upon its inauguration, this Monday, pending resolution of the matter.
In all likelihood, TikTok USA could be sold to its minister, billionaire Elon Musk.
