On the social network, content creators share distress messages en masse. With her face broken by emotion, in tears, influencer Emily Senn, followed by more than 346,000 subscribers, implores the American government in a video: “ I will never forgive you, I will never trust you again, I cry for an app but I went through very difficult times in my life, I lost my job during Covid-19 and I spent so many time to make a name for myself on this platform, I lose all my tools and I don’t know how I’m going to turn around financially. » Queen Tay, followed by 214,000 subscribers, also deplores the decision of the American courts in a TikTok publication: “ all my income will disappear ».
Jessica Maddox, professor at the University of Alabama, specializing in internet culture and social networks, recalls that content creators are already feeling the effects of the decision: “some brands have no longer wanted to work with them for several weeks because they know that a ban is looming”. Ashley Wright, for her part, points out a risk of unemployment for many influencers. As for small businesses, they risk losing “their marketing tool and their ability to sell beyond their community”adds the researcher. The blow would be all the more violent for companies that depend exclusively on TikTok in terms of revenue.
The platform’s algorithm has undeniable advantages over other applications for emerging structures. In particular, it makes it possible to push high-performance content to different communities, and increasingly as it is viewed. What “go viral in one night », underlines Jessica Maddox. Conversely, on Instagram, “When users see sponsored content, they feel encouraged to buy “, she continues.
For Thomas Angerer, co-founder of BeInfluence, an influencer marketing agency, it is above all the rise of TikTok Shop that has enabled SMEs to sell directly. “TikTok is the first network to have launched this live commerce, massively subsidized by the parent company ByteDance which is losing money on this activity”he says. As for content creators, with TikTok they have had access to the ability to create videos in the snap of their fingers. “ The strength of TikTok was to allow video beginners to get started easily, unlike Youtube, which requires technical skills », deciphers Jessica Maddox.
-Another advantage of the Chinese platform is the quantity of data collected, allowing developers to refine their algorithm. “They are very good at targeting consumers precisely,” says Mohammad Saifur Rahman, professor of management at the Daniels School of Business at Purdue University. Video visibility is also maintained over an extended period of time. Sales and performance measurement tools are a valuable ally for businesses. “This makes collaborations transparent and efficient”ajoute Ashley Wright.
Influencers only have a few hours left before convincing their subscribers to follow them on other platforms, such as Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, or Xiaohongshu – “little red book” – a Chinese social network that has taken over the latter. days. Nothing to prevent a short period of « chaos »analyse Mohammad Saifur Rahman : “when you are successful, you are followed by a lot of volatile accounts and not only by a loyal group, their entire community will not follow them. » For Jessica Maddox, many creators and brands will have to reinvent themselves to adapt to new platforms: “there is going to be a real period of reflection on what it is to be a creator”. Everyone is hanging on Donald Trump’s reaction. Having become an ardent defender of the platform, he asked for time to decide whether to apply the law or not.
