TikTok, the popular social media platform primarily focused on short-form video content, is set to go dark for 170 million American users this Sunday — including influencers and content creators in San Antonio who rely on the app as a source of income and community.
Under a new federal law signed last year by President Joe Biden, TikTok will be banned in the United States starting Sunday, Jan. 19, that is unless Chinese parent-company ByteDance sells the social media app to a U.S.-based company.
The new law is in response to concerns from some government officials who view the platform as a national security risk — fearing that Beijing-based ByteDance might be sharing U.S. user data with the Chinese government. In recent weeks, both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have claimed they are exploring alternate routes to keep the platform from being banned.
Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments from TikTok, which is challenging the law arguing that it violates Americans’ First Amendment rights. TikTok is requesting that the court block the ban, but had already lost its first legal effort in December when a panel of three federal judges unanimously rejected the argument.
As of Thursday afternoon, SCOTUS had not issued a decision.
San Antonio-based content creators who have grown strong followings on the social media app are waiting with bated breath to see if the app will actually be banned this weekend.
Mercedes “Sadie” Silva, who’s grown an online brand through TikTok focused on being an active stay-at-home mom, said she personally hopes the ban doesn’t happen. Under the username “mercedesxms” she has garnered more than 82,000 followers on TikTok since she started posting videos in 2020 during the pandemic.
“It’s just, it’s disheartening to know that there’s opportunities that I could lose because of it,” Silva told the San Antonio Report Thursday. “I don’t want to believe it — I want to just hold on to that bit of hope that it doesn’t happen.”
Silva said she feels as if she’s losing a part of her identity and community, describing it as feeling similar to losing a person or best friend.
“Tiktok has been a place for me, it’s my corner of the internet,” she said. “It is where I can go and I can post how I’m feeling, I can share my experiences, I can share information.”
Local social media mom Kristy Ward, who operates on TikTok as “latina.mom,” agreed that the platform has been great source of community for her and other mothers, not just locally but globally.
Ward told the Report that she’s often turned to the app to post about difficult experiences she’s faced in life, both as a mother and as a working woman. The comments that flood in remind her how universal many experiences of motherhood are, which can be such a source of comfort considering how isolating it can sometimes feel.
As the director of marketing and events for San Antonio Pets Alive, the platform has also helped her connect with the community to help save pets’ lives, Ward said. The local foster and adoption nonprofit has a strong following of more than 20,000 under Ward’s influence, which she says has resulted in helping some of the animals they care finding homes or funds for medical treatments.
“it is definitely going to be a loss,” she said.
For Jorge Mata, who’s grown his brand “Viva Texas” on TikTok and other social media platforms, the ban would be a “death sentence” for his media creation business, Mata said.
Over the last year, TikTok and deals he’s made through the app have become Mata’s main source of income, helping him earn between $3,000 and $10,000 a month. Mata said he would likely move his growing company to Mexico if the U.S. ban goes into effect.
Mata started creating videos on TikTok in 2022, but said his following quickly grew once he started creating content in both Spanish and English, and working with other companies to create ads for them. Today, he has about 81,000 followers on TikTok. While he’s grown an equally strong following on Instagram, Mata said TikTok has a better payout for its creators and that the ban would hit him especially hard.
Mata added he’s spent a lot of time this week calling local U.S. lawmakers to voice how he’d be impacted by the ban.
“I’m trying to make my voice heard — to make sure that they are aware that there are people out there who depend on this, and what the implications are if they do this,” Mata told the Report. “The best I’ve been able to do is either an answering machine or get a hold of a staffer.”
Carlos Flores, who goes by “Papi.Cuh” on TikTok, said he’s been saying goodbye to his 1.1 million followers on the app and asking them to follow him on other mediums like Instagram and YouTube.
Flores, who splits his time between San Antonio and Del Rio, said he doesn’t think the ban will hit him as hard as it may other influencers because he’s built strong followings on other apps, but said he could see how it would be a real loss for his peers.
“It feels really weird, and it’s actually kind of sad, thinking of having to basically start from zero for some,” he said. “I know there’s going to be people on other platforms, and we’ll end up finding each other again, but it’s kind of unfortunate that we have to leave this all behind if it does get banned.”
