OPINION: How the TikTok Ban affects content creators
Photos via @queentay and @kileerainbow
Ava Jelepis, a Freshman studying Journalism, spoke with two content creators about how the TikTok ban would impact their livelihood.
With the possible TikTok ban date approaching, many content creators who earn an income from TikTok are concerned about what this means for them. Kilee Rainbow and Queen Tay are two content creators who will have to see how the ban will affect them and what they plan to do in a post-TikTok era.
Kilee Hutchings, known online as Kilee Rainbow, started creating content in 2012 as a single mom looking for support. She started with YouTube, then, eight years later, during the pandemic, she joined TikTok. Hutchings said that when she began to post, “TikTok felt different from other platforms. While I struggled to stand out elsewhere, TikTok was a space where I truly fit in.” She gained over 200,000 followers and created the support and community that she had been looking for.
In 2021, just one year after Hutchings started, she was able to quit her restaurant manager job, where she was scheduled long hours away from her family. Since her husband works away for weeks, this allowed her to be home with her children rather than depending on a nanny. Her platform gave her the freedom to be at home, and monetizing provided her with financial stability through Tiktok’s creator fund and other opportunities. “It’s not just a platform. It has been a lifeline for our family and for me personally.”
Hutchings says that if TikTok is banned, she will experience a financial loss since TikTok makes up most of her income. Shifting to other platforms will be a huge adjustment for her and her family. However, she says that it’s not just about money. She will be losing the community she worked to create and part of her identity. “The platform has been a space where I’ve connected with people, built friendships, and found a sense of purpose.” Hutchings believes TikTok represents creativity, freedom of expression and connection. “The thought of losing that is heartbreaking.”
If the TikTok ban happens, Hutchings will focus more on the platform she started on, YouTube, since she already has a presence and is familiar with the community. Though she is grateful to have another platform, she says that transitioning will not be easy. “TikTok has been such a unique and impactful space for me, not just for growth and income, but for connecting with others in ways that feel real and immediate.” Hutchings will have to rebuild her community and the financial security that she worked hard to create. Hutchings can be found @kileerainbow on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook.
Taylor, known on social media as Queen Tay, was born and raised in Mississippi and says she creates “content showing hidden gems around my community, travel vlogs, deals and sales, and more.” She became a TikTok content creator while she was in college and studied PR and digital marketing, which helped her grow her platform. She grew to 50,000 followers in her first year and was making 10,000 dollars a month from TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program, Creator Challenge Program, and TikTok Shop when she graduated college. Today, she has over 200,000 followers.
For Tay, TikTok provides financial stability for her and her family. “I was able to raise $25,000 for family medical bills in three days after a medical emergency, just through vlogging the experience in the hospital.” Though TikTok provided her money for a new car and apartment as well as the ability to travel, Tay says the ability TikTok provided her to invest back into her community and various organizations is most important to her.
Tay says, “The ban will instantly take away 90% of my income. It will halt my ability to give back to charities and organizations that help others. It will require me to find another way to pay my bills, fund my retirement, and live a life with minimal stress. Unfortunately, that’s not possible with a majority of entry-level jobs in the South these days. “
She plans to continue to post on her other social media platforms after the ban and began preparing in November by monetizing two of her other platforms. “I will ultimately be fine, but thousands of creators with less opportunity, education and privilege than me will be devastated by the loss of TikTok. It is one of the very few platforms that fairly compensates and gives back to its creators.” Tay can be found on TikTok @queentayshops and @queentaybts and @queentayfosters, YouTube @queentay, Instagram @queen.tay and Facebook as Queen Tay.
Both Taylor and Hutchings have been encouraging others to fight the ban. Hutchings said that there is a website where people can sign the petition to help stop the ban that features prewritten scripts that people can send to local representatives. Hutchings says, “It takes about two minutes to email them, and it can truly make a difference!” Taylor said, “Petitions are still being signed. Representatives are still fighting. And most importantly, Americans are taking their votes away from government officials who support the censoring of free speech in our country. This ban is concerning for far more reasons than just loss of income, which should be focused on entirely.” The fate of TikTok is still unknown, leaving the fate of TikTok content creators unfairly in the dark.
Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.