Alexandria Buchanan, the owner of Sharai Swimwear and social media manager for various local businesses, has witnessed firsthand how TikTok’s global audience can help to grow a brand.
“We saw record website visits and sales when we had viral videos,” said Buchanan, a recent UH graduate. “It’s just so rewarding to find and build a community of people that get your mission.”
For Hawai’i small businesses and content creators, the on-again-off-again possibility of a TikTok ban is threatening more than the loss of a social media platform, but more importantly a loss of a source of income and advertisement.
According to Oxford Economics, 20,000 local small businesses actively use TikTok. 39% of these businesses say the app is critical to their business, with an elevated 64% feeling the app allowed them to connect with previously unreachable communities.
Many local users and content creators are questioning where to go in the event of a ban. As for what she plans, Buchanan says video content is the future, so the most logical step would be to use current platforms like Instagram and Facebook. But those platforms are not as useful as TikTok, she said.
“TikTok’s algorithm is unmatched, and it has never been easier to reach niche communities and interests or to share information,” said Buchanan.
Janelle Liang is a UH student, content creator and model. She has garnered 36,000 followers on the app through lifestyle, beauty, fashion, and food related content.
Liang shared her perspective on the impact of a ban.
“TikTok has played a crucial role in marketing for small businesses and will significantly impact brands that solely relied on TikTok marketing, TikTok shops, and other affiliate programs,” said Liang. “The U.S. should have developed an American version or acquired it from China to help maintain the integrity of those that rely on the app for income.”
Bigger companies may not be impacted as much as smaller ones, Liang said.
“Larger-scale businesses are only somewhat affected as most of their marketing is done through Instagram,” said Liang. “So this might be good for these big businesses because they got rid of their small competitors through the TikTok ban.”
National security concerns are the main factor behind the ban, as the app could act as a vehicle for the Chinese government to spy on American citizens. The amount of data the app collects and how this data is used are also a concern.
Jennifer Sunrise Winter is a communications professor at the University of Hawai’i that specializes in internet ethics and policy, as well as social media platforms. She shared her perspective on the data these platforms collect.
“Virtually any of these large platforms, Meta, which includes Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, are buying, selling, using our data for all sorts of different things,” said Winter. “And now, coupled with AI, really intense types of disinformation campaigns around a variety of issues, including just destabilizing Western democracies.”
The end of the TikTok era lasted a mere 14 hours before the app was up and running for its U.S. users. In 75 days the fate of the app will once again be up in the air.
In the age of social media, there is always something new right around the corner, Buchanan shared her outlook.
“Trends are things that come and go, just like these apps,” said Buchanan. “There will always be something new that will get the people talking and while I don’t think TikTok’s “replacement” is anything on the market now, I do believe it’s coming.”
