Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit
I'm really curious and somewhat worried about what the economic effect of this is going to be. There are a number of legitimate small businesses that saw a lot of, if not all of, their business and customer base through TikTok. Business that just will not be able to make the move to somewhere else.

I personally know musicians, actors, and artists that got a lot of work through TikTok. People who actually create things, and people who just used the app to make ends meet who probably aren't going to make ends meet this month

loading story #42753560
loading story #42753716
My cousin worked at a place where he would stream for 8 hours a day on tiktok and sell trading card packs and other collectables. I guess it was a bit like home shopping network. But his streams were kinda goofy and playful. I didn't really understand who the customers were. I guess some people found him entertaining and liked what he was selling.
So he's going to get a job now?
loading story #42754044
loading story #42753561
loading story #42753679
loading story #42754003
They had plenty of time to figure this out.
loading story #42753494
loading story #42754633
Did nothing to India with its 1B+ users when it was banned there 4 years ago. They just either used a VPN or just moved on.

While I disagree with the ban, I'd rather have a sensible fine just like the ones for Meta, Google (YouTube) and others. At one point it also might have temporarily saved someone's chronic addiction to the platform, then they'll just find another platform to get hooked on.

But for now nature is healing.

American are the chicken with golden egg, you don't want to lose them. They have the biggest ad profile value.

Indian on contrary are cheap, their profile are worth close to nothing.

Indian users are very well versed in and used to circumventing government bans. It's a different audience
loading story #42753601
I know think of the poor starving only fans entrepreneurs - i mean small business owners. How ever will they pay for college now?
Why do you bash people who have found a way to make an income? We all know tech ain't hiring after everyone was told to 'learn to code'. What else is there to lead a middle class lifestyle?
Good luck if you ever have daughters.
You didn't actually answer the question.
You should never be fully reliant on a single corporate platform if you make a living selling goods or services.
You can be fully aware of this and still have issues building up your platform elsewhere.

We utilize every platform equally. TikTok organically grew at least 5x the followership for our business, meanwhile Meta gouges us for advertising to be seen at all and we see worse results and interactions there.

The ban of TikTok will have resounding effects even if people are utilizing the alternatives. I've seen far too many people who haven't used TikTok and the alternatives for their business, or are not business owners at all, declare their opinions as facts when they have no actual experience in this space.

I'm not saying this explicitly includes you, I don't make presumptions about your experience in this space.

That's because most of the users are there. Now they will go somewhere else, and you can utilize whatever becomes the next big platform.
Regardless, the parent is correct. If you're reliant on a single platform, for whatever reasons, you're vulnerable to being fucked over by that platform. Practically speaking, how is TT being banned different than being arbitrarily banned from TT?
loading story #42753817
loading story #42755179