Cori Hanna is preparing for her income to be cut in half.
The 29-year-old Elgin influencer posts recommendations of food and things to do around Chicago on her account @coriinthecity. She made around $110,000 last year from TikTok and Instagram partnerships.
But she is one of many young TikTok users in the Chicago area who say they’ll be left floundering if and when the popular video sharing app is banned in the United States on national security grounds.
“This is something to be serious about,” Hanna said. “I know people are wanting to roll their eyes when we get upset about a potential ban, but it really is that big of a deal.”
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law Friday that would require the app to be sold or banned. TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, is required by law to divest in the company by Sunday for the app to be allowed in the U.S. But a sale hasn’t gone through yet, and a Democrat-led initiative to extend the deadline was blocked by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
President Joe Biden said he wouldn’t enforce the ban, leaving that decision to President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office the day after the ban is set to go into effect.
The Washington Post reports that Trump is mulling signing an executive order that would suspend enforcement of the ban to negotiate a sale, but it’s unclear if such an order would survive legal challenges.
Young people have flocked to the app in recent years, with 60% of its users born between 1996 and 2012, according to digital marketing and media company Wallaroo. Among them are users who’ve parlayed their TikTok accounts into careers through deals with brands that pay them to promote their products. Users also can get paid for videos with high numbers of views.
Hanna, who partners with brands like Wella Professionals shampoo and Lime scooters, said it’s tough to tell how much money she’d be losing if the ban goes into effect, but she’s preparing for a significant hit to her income.
“Let’s say I have two jobs. It feels like I’m losing one of them,” said Hanna, who has 222,000 followers on TikTok and 68,000 on Instagram. “I just want people to understand that TikTok isn’t just an app. Now I can’t imagine life without it.”
“It’s a little alarming when you hear about it at first, but I didn’t think it would get this far,” said Kaylee Beevers, an influencer who lives in Little Italy. “Right now I think it’s a game of chicken to see who wants to buy it first.”
Known as Kaylee Jo Chicago on TikTok where she has more than 69,000 followers, Beevers, 29, posts recommendations for events, bars, restaurants and shops and has affiliate links for White Claw and Mazda.
“It’s the only way we can excel fast right now,” said Beevers. “You’re not gonna make $400,000 right out of school, but when you’re a content creator you can.”
Sydney Converse, 27, who lives in River North and has more than 142,000 TikTok followers, posts lifestyle and beauty content and earns commission from TikTok Shop, the app’s marketplace. Once the ban appeared imminent, she worked to increase her Instagram following and considered similar apps like Lemon8 and the Chinese app RedNote as a last resort. But if the ban goes through, her following will largely be gone.
“It’s key to reduce reliance on one platform,” she said. “You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket.”
Whether or not the ban is enforced, she’ll probably shift her focus to YouTube, Converse said.
Ashley Selleke, a 30-year-old who posts about her daily life on TikTok, said the ban has made her reevaluate her lifestyle. She estimated around 20-30% of her income last year came from the app, where she has partnered with brands like Sephora and Columbia Sportswear. She counted on that income to pay for her River North apartment, but said she may have to move if the ban impacts her finances.
She added the ban could cause her to lose touch with her “tight-knit” group of more than 118,000 followers if they don’t follow her on other apps.
“That’s a blessing that that is the discomfort I have instead of potentially losing out on all my income,” said Selleke, who has a full-time digital marketing job.
Beevers said her income from social media brand deals rivals that of her full-time sales job and she could quit her job if she wanted to.
But TikTok has brought her more than just cash.
“This is a job for me. It’s a passion of mine,” she said.