What we learnt from TikTok’s near-death experience

Heartfelt pleas, flower emojis left in tribute and a baby salmon bowl that left people in tears. It was a dark weekend for TikTok.

As US creators counted down to the federal ban, which led to the popular social media app becoming inaccessible to US users on Sunday (AEDT), the platform became a place of panic and mourning.

The brief shutdown of TikTok in the US may have seemed like the end of the world, but instead it just taught us a lot about the social media app.Credit: Compiled by Aresna Villanueva.

The shutdown ultimately lasted a matter of hours. The app was reinstated after US President-elect Donald Trump announced he would sign an executive order on Monday (US time) to delay the ban by 90 days.

Athough the blackout was brief, everything that surrounded it revealed a great deal about TikTok – an app that has changed immensely since its early days as a place for dance videos and cute animal content.

It has become a vital creative community

The broader discussion around US TikTok’s potential demise has revolved around national security risks and the impact on small businesses. But the creators are focusing on the communities they risk losing.

Prominent influencers such as Alix Earle and Emilie Kiser posted tear-filled videos sharing how important the app is to them – not because of the money and fame it affords them, but because of the connections it helped them build.

“This community is irreplaceable,” said Arizona-based “mumfluencer” Kiser between tears in one of her recent videos. “I watched my confidence grow so much because of you guys.”

TikTok has become known for its vast array of niche communities, from #BookTok and #BeautyTok to #DIYTok and #MoneyTok. Many users discovered new hobbies and interests or acquired new skills on TikTok, using the comments section as a sounding board for concerns along the way.

“I’ve been able to reach and connect with so many people to the point that when I meet you guys, [you] break down crying about how something I’ve posted has helped them,” Miami-based fashion and beauty creator Alix Earle wrote on one of her recent videos.

Beauty creator James Charles shared Earle’s concerns, posting a video on Instagram during the blackout in which he called the ban “dystopian”.

“This has been a massive part of our lives for the last six years … I feel disconnected, I feel cut off from the world and my community,” he said.

It wouldn’t be TikTok without memes, though. In the lead-up to the shutdown, many creators shared deep (usually fake or intentionally controversial) secrets in videos that used a popular Family Guy soundbyte. Others jokingly bid farewell to their TikTok “Chinese spy”, or claimed they’d move to China to keep the app.

It will be difficult to find a replacement

Like Charles, many US users flocked to Instagram during the shutdown. Even those overseas unaffected by the ban, myself included, found themselves scrolling parts of the app they hadn’t touched in years.

Determined to see how some of my favourite American creators were faring, I turned to Instagram Reels. But after five minutes of scrolling, I realised my Meta algorithm was entirely out of whack. Instead of my favourite “day in the life” videos, I was met with Robert Irwin chatting about I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and random French content (I can’t speak French).

I eventually resorted to manually trying to find my favourite creators’ recent content, but even that was difficult because, unlike TikTok, it’s spread across different parts of the app. Is it on their grid, their reel or their story? I’m looking for mindless doom-scrolling, not a treasure hunt.

Others who knew Instagram would be a disaster well before the shutdown downloaded a Chinese app called RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu. This lifestyle platform rocketed to the top of the US Apple app store days before the ban took effect, with many new US users dubbing themselves “TikTok refugees”.

However, the likelihood that it’ll continue topping the charts is slim. The app is more of a lifestyle search engine, closer to something like Pinterest than TikTok.

Do we need American creators?

A US ban would mean about 170 million users would be cut from the platform. And, theoretically, that could leave more room in Australians’ For You feeds for content beyond North America.

That could be especially beneficial for up-and-coming artists, comedians and musicians – many of whom may find it difficult to stand out among the current glut of content.

But fewer users also means fewer viewers for remaining creators. And less content overall. And if more creators outside the US follow their American audiences to other apps, TikTok may lose relevancy.

“At least half of my followers are from America,” prominent Australian creator Anna Paul said in a recent TikTok.

The next 90 days will be critical as creators like this find the best path forward.

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