TULSA, Okla. — Now that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law to ban TikTok unless its Chinese parent company, Byte Dance, sells it, all indications are that the ban will take effect on Sunday.
2 News talked to local food influencer Tara Quinn in December when, amid fears of the ban, she was pushing her followers to move to Instagram.
Local News
'Very frustrating': Tulsa TikToker says possible ban leaves businesses in limbo
“Where are you guys going to figure out where to eat, if you don’t come follow me on Instagram?” she said in one of her videos.
“Experience Tulsa”is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together the community and promoting the city.
Luke Leifeste’s interviews with prominent or popular locals have racked up five million views between Instagram and TikTok.
“It has expanded our reach in Tulsa and outside of Tulsa to spotlight small businesses, uplift local businesses, add in a Tulsa ‘hot take’ here and there, and that’s rare, it doesn’t exist on other platforms as much,” Leifeste said.
Leifeste said what separates TikTok from other platforms is the algorithm. It allows users to reach an audience they wouldn’t otherwise reach.
National
How to prepare for a TikTok ban, including how to save your content
He believes content creators are not the only ones who will feel a loss.
“I think it would be a shame for us to lose that, especially in a community where small businesses need as much buzz and awareness as they can,” he said.
One marketing survey by Capterra reveals 77% of small businesses saw sales, attributable to TikTok, increase over the span of a year.
23% report a “significant increase.” It also shows 96% of small business owners say they get the most engagement on TikTok, compared to 68% on Facebook and 47% on Instagram.
The TikTok ban is based around lawmakers fear of a Chinese-owned company being a national security risk.
While security experts have said it is a possibility, so far, there is not evidence that any breach has occurred.
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