There is an ongoing debate about whether or not to ban TikTok in the United States. U.S. lawmakers and the Biden administration are considering new legislative approaches to address concerns about the Chinese-owned app’s operations in the country.
According to wdet.org, social media influencers and content creators are watching the situation closely as they rely on platforms like TikTok for their business models and daily routines.
Edwin Taylor, a 23-year-old food critic based in Detroit, goes by the name “Ed Eats” on TikTok and has over 28,000 followers. Taylor says that most of his income comes from his presence on social media apps such as TikTok.
Taylor explains that various sources of income come with being a social media influencer. For example, the TikTok Creativity Program pays content creators to make videos over a minute long. Additionally, posting on social media allows brands to watch your videos, and they may reach out to you to promote their brand or business, paying you to do so.
Taylor believes banning TikTok in the U.S. would be unfair to many people, including himself, who use it as a business tool or for entertainment. He added that TikTok is the primary source of news and trends for millions of Americans, and he sometimes prefers it over Google. Taylor thinks this shows how little control the U.S. government has over TikTok and why it wants to ban it so badly.
Additionally, Taylor believes that U.S. lawmakers should focus on more significant issues instead of wasting time and energy on banning TikTok. In his opinion, many other important issues need attention and discussion.
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that brings the country closer to banning TikTok. The bill calls for ByteDance, the Chinese developer of the app, to divest from the company or be removed from U.S. app stores. The bill, dubbed “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” has received overwhelming bipartisan support, with 352 votes in favor. Only 65 voted against the measure.
