That is the pressing question that has left inventors and small business owners in a state of anxiety as they await a verdict that could change their lives.
The Supreme Court will decide the destiny of the popular app on Jan. 10, when it hears arguments on a legislation mandating TikTok to cut connections with its Chinese-based parent firm, ByteDance, or face a US ban.
The essence of the argument is whether the legislation violates the First Amendment, which TikTok and its creator backers claim it does. The US government, which regards the platform as a national security danger, claims otherwise.
For artists, TikTok doomsday scenarios are nothing new, as President-elect Donald Trump attempted to prohibit the app by executive order during his first term.
But, despite Trump’s recent pronouncements indicating that he now wants TikTok to remain, the threat of a ban has never been more imminent, with the Supreme Court serving as the final arbiter.
If the government wins, as it did in a lower court, TikTok plans to shut down its U.S. platform on January 19, leaving creators scurrying to reimagine their futures.
“A lot of my creative pals are freaking out. But I’m staying calm,” said Gillian Johnson, who profited financially from TikTok’s live function and incentives program, which enabled producers to gain more income by publishing high-quality original content. The 22-year-old filmmaker and recent college graduate uses her TikTok money to purchase camera lenses and editing software for her short films “Gambit” and “Awaken! My Neighbor.”
Johnson said the concept of TikTok disappearing is “hard to accept.”
Many creators have gone to TikTok to vent their anger, fearing that the platform in which they have spent so much would soon disappear.
Online communities are at risk, and the economic consequences might be particularly catastrophic for people who rely heavily on TikTok and have left full-time work to develop careers and incomes based on their material.
According to Johnson, some producers have questioned whether they should continue to create content at all.
However, Nicla Bartoli, vice president of sales at The Influencer Marketing Factory, said the creators she has spoken with have not been overly concerned as news of a potential TikTok ban has surfaced several times over the years and then faded away.
“I believe a good chunk think it is not going to happen,” said Bartoli, whose agency connects influencers and brands.
It is unknown how swiftly the Supreme Court will make a ruling. However, if at least five of the nine justices believe the bill is unconstitutional, the court may act quickly to prevent it from taking effect.
Trump, for his part, has already urged the court to postpone the ban so that he can weigh in after taking office.
In a brief filed by his nominee for attorney general, Trump described the First Amendment implications of a TikTok ban as “sweeping and troubling” and stated that he seeks a “negotiated resolution” to the matter, which the Biden administration had tried to no result.
While the dust settles in Washington, some creators are looking into new ways to market themselves or their businesses, such as encouraging viewers to follow them on other social networking platforms or spending more time creating non-TikTok content.
Johnson said she is already planning her next step and looking into different options. While she hasn’t found a replacement for TikTok, she has started to spend more time on other sites like Instagram and YouTube, both of which are likely to profit financially if TikTok disappears.
According to a Goldman Sachs estimate, the so-called creator economy, which has been powered in part by TikTok, might be worth $480 billion in 2027.
Because the opportunity to commercialize content exists across multiple channels, a large number of creators have already expanded their social media footprint.
However, many TikTok creators have credited the platform and its algorithm with providing them with exposure that they did not obtain on other platforms. Some claim it has also enhanced and expanded chances for creators of color and other marginalized groups.
Despite concerns regarding the future of TikTok, industry observers note that creators are generally avoiding major changes, such as exiting the platform, until something happens.
“I’m anxious but also trying to be hopeful in a weird way,” said Brandon Hurst, who credits TikTok for saving his company from obscurity and propelling it to rapid development.
A year after joining TikTok, Hurst, 30, who sells plants, claimed his sales had risen, exceeding the traction he’d managed to acquire on Instagram.
He created his clientele using TikTok’s live feature, which helped him sell over 77,000 plants. The firm has grown so significantly that he now employs five people, including his husband and mother.
“For me, this has been my sole way of doing business,” Hurst told the audience.
Billion Dollar Boy, a New York-based influencer marketing business, has urged producers to download all of their TikTok material into a personal portfolio.
This is especially crucial for individuals who publish predominantly on the platform, according to Edward East, the agency’s founder and group CEO.
This can help them swiftly expand their audience abroad. East said that it can also function as a resume for brands interested in collaborating with them on product marketing.
However, until the Jan. 19 deadline, East advised creators to continue posting on TikTok, which has 170 million monthly users in the United States and is still highly effective at reaching audiences.
If the Supreme Court does not delay the ban, as Trump requests, app retailers and internet service providers will be compelled to stop supplying TikTok services by January 19.
That implies that anyone without TikTok on their phone will be unable to download it. TikTok users would still have access, but the bans, which prevent them from updating the program, would eventually render the app “unworkable,” according to the Justice Department.
TikTok stated in court documents that a one-month shutdown would result in the platform losing around one-third of its daily users in the United States.
The company claims that a shutdown, even if temporary, will create irreparable harm, a legal standard used by judges to decide whether to halt a legislation under dispute. In less than three weeks, Americans will know whether the Supreme Court agrees.