BETHLEHEM, Pa. — With TikTok on the brink of banishment, local business owners who rely on the popular social media platform are scrambling to come up with a Plan B.
“We’re panicking,” said Lauren McChesney, co-owner of Shankweiler’s Drive-In Movie Theater in North Whitehall Township.
“It was one of the best ways to reach new people.”
“Just because the app is owned by a Chinese company, there is speculation that the Chinese company will use the algorithm in a nefarious way to manipulate users’ sentiments in favor of communism.”
Jefferson Pooley, Associate Professor of Media and Communication, Muhlenberg College
TikTok, the social media app known for creating and sharing short-form video content, will be banned in the United States on Sunday, according to a law passed by Congress in December.
Under the law, TikTok’s parent company, Chinese-owned ByteDance, must sell to a U.S. buyer or face a ban.
The Supreme Court upheld the law in a ruling released Friday.
“TikTok’s size and vulnerability to foreign enemy control, combined with the vast amount of sensitive data the platform collects, justify discriminatory treatment to address the government’s national security concerns,” the court said. said.
The dispute, which began in the final stages of President Donald Trump’s first term in 2020, has further intensified debate over data privacy, national security and relations with the Chinese government.
“This is a byproduct of tensions between China and the United States,” said Jefferson Pulley, an associate professor of media and communications at Muhlenberg College.
Pooley called the ban “ridiculous fear-mongering.”
“Just because the app is owned by a Chinese company, there is an assumption that the Chinese company will use the algorithm in a nefarious way to manipulate users’ emotions in favor of communism,” he said. said.
“There is no evidence that anything like this has ever happened. Of course, we don’t know exactly what explanations were given to Congress prior to the decision to pass the law in December, but it is absolutely ridiculous. think.”
“We have to start from scratch.”
For McChesney and other local business owners, a potential ban would mean alienating a market that relies heavily on social media: Millennials and Gen Z.
“The 18- to 34-year-old age group is not necessarily reading newspapers, looking at billboards, or watching ads on TV,” McChesney said.
“They’re on social media. TikTok was a way to reach them.”
Shankweiler’s Drive-In Movie Theater first appeared on TikTok in 2022, uploading a variety of content including behind-the-scenes snippets, movie previews, and collaborations with other local businesses.
McChesney said the drive-in started with six followers on TikTok, but quickly ballooned to more than 32,000.
“Right now we feel like we have to start from scratch,” she said.
“It feels wrong that[our government]is focusing on banning apps when there are so many other issues.”
“Ability to adapt”
Other local businesses and organizations will also be affected.
That includes the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate baseball team, whose TikTok account has more than 44,800 followers.
Team spokesman Matt Bali said he believed the impending suspension was a strikeout.
“It would be a shame to lose a resource, especially if it was a very popular resource,” he said.
The IronPigs TikTok features fun game-day highlights, behind-the-scenes content from the players, clips of families having fun at the ballpark, and more.
Discover Lehigh Valley is a tourism organization specializing in providing information about attractions, events, dining, shopping, lodging, and outdoor activities, and has a TikTok account with over 30,000 followers.
Hannah O’Reilly, the charity’s social and content manager, said she could not comment personally.
But CEO Alex Michaels emphasized that Discover Lehigh Valley understands “the importance of a diversified digital strategy.”
“Even in the event of a TikTok ban, we remain confident in our ability to adapt and continue delivering high-quality content that supports our mission to promote this region,” Michaels said. said.
Is there still hope?
Groups like Discover Lehigh Valley and businesses like Shankweiler’s are preparing to change course, but Pulley said the ban may never officially go into effect.
“Although this app will likely not be in the App Store on January 19th, there is some maneuvering going on that could prevent a ban,” he said.
“A decision regarding TikTok will be made in the not-too-distant future, but we need time to consider the situation.”
President-elect Donald Trump
Just recently, billionaire businessman and real estate mogul Frank McCourt revealed that he and his internet advocacy group had submitted a proposal to buy the social media platform from ByteDance.
Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary is also joining the effort.
President Trump also commented on the decision. The president-elect asked the Supreme Court in December to put the ruling on the TikTok ban on hold until he takes office.
Three days before the inauguration, the court did not honor his request.
“A decision regarding TikTok will be made in the not-too-distant future, but we need time to consider the situation,” Trump said in a post on TruthSocial.
“It’s really ironic, because he’s the one who got us into this in the first place,” Pulley said.
