On The Repercussions of a Potential TikTok Ban in the United States

With the rise of AI, chatbots and predictive text on smartphones, I want to get back to writing, without the assistance of these tools. My ongoing article series talks about marketing, the world of work and anything else that I think may be relevant to this platform.

I started writing this article on Saturday evening.

At that point, it was expected that TikTok would be going dark inside the United States, possibly forever.

In the end, the app was only shut down for a total of 14 hours and? the U.S. ban has now been pushed back by at least 75 days, which takes us to April 1st.

It was a wild weekend and it is entirely possible that this whole scenario will play out once again in April.

No matter what happens and when, there will be fallout. For marketers and regular users alike.

Meta (Facebook and Instagram) are going to do their best to capitalize on the vacuum a potential TikTok disappearance would leave. They’ve already announced that they will be increasing the run time of Reels up to three minutes long on Instagram.

We also got word this week that Instagram is planning to release a new video editing tool called Edits. This app is a direct competitor and possible replacement of CapCut which is also subject to the looming potential ban.

Instagram users have also been reporting aesthetic changes and bugginess over the past few days. Strange gaps at the top of every profile, left-aligned text and difficulty uploading videos.

There will be lots of changes for marketers to keep track of. Even if they aren’t using TikTok.

TikTok Has Changed The World

TikTok made vertical video the default and most dominant form of video on social media. Whether you're on Facebook, Instagram, even LinkedIn and YouTube, vertical video has become a part of your everyday experience. Vertical video was once viewed as amateur and unprofessional. TikTok eliminated that idea.

TikTok changed the algorithm for all of the big social media platforms by removing the decade-long requirement of needing an already built up audience to get your message out. Today,? just one entertaining or informative video and go do huge numbers.?

If the US ban does go through and hold (in April this time), I'll be very curious to see what the FYP looks like in a world without United States generated content.

No doubt that being banned in both India and the United States would be a huge setback, but it's a big world with over eight billion people out there. There's global content in every language.

It’s always interesting to open up TikTok when you get to your hotel room or Airbnb while traveling in a different country. The content you see changes depending on your location.

What you see in Munich is different from what you see in Montreal, even with the same phone and user preferences. Wherever you happen to be, local language content will be served up to you, even if you don’t speak a word of it.

A permanent ban could also serve as a potential case study to see if a social media giant?can survive and thrive without the American economy, American attention and American dollars.

This is an ongoing situation. Repercussions are already being felt far beyond the United States and aren’t limited to the TikTok app.

A Playlist for Deep Work I’m Listening To

I’ve been using Deep Ambient music playlists to help me focus on work. This genre of music reminds me of being in Eastern Europe during the winter months. I think that’s why it works so well for me.?