How a TikTok Ban Could Effect Filmmakers

To the detriment of our favorite trends and sick memes, the long-rumored TikTok ban is on the horizon. The Supreme Court heard arguments today on whether or not it would uphold the current law banning the enormously popular social media app in the United States unless ByteDance sells it by January 19th.

If you’re wondering how our silly little videos are facing the cold hand of the law, the argument being made is that TikTok’s Chinese ownership poses security concerns due to US citizen data collection and potential influence from the Chinese government. Is this true? I have no clue, as I’ve never worked in spycraft or data collection. But more importantly, what would a TikTok ban mean for us as filmmakers?

Let’s explore the TikTok ban and its relevance to filmmakers below.

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Why is TikTok Getting Banned?

So, why is the US government picking on TikTok? Well, the fear amongst lawmakers is that since ByteDance is a Chinese company, they are more susceptible to interference and influence from the Chinese government which may want to access and gather user personal data. And with 170 million TikTok users in the US, that’s a whole lot of personal data.

Last year, President Biden passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act in hopes of preventing such an occurrence, stating:

“Congress has passed my legislation to strengthen our national security and send a message to the world about the power of American leadership: we stand resolutely for democracy and freedom, and against tyranny and oppression,” Biden said.

While it seems scary, Donald Trump seems to think he can broker a deal after being sworn into office on January 20th. All that considered, what are the odds it’s banned?

Is TikTok Getting Banned by the Supreme Court?

Whether the ban will go through seems to depend on whether or not ByteDance is willing to cooperate by divesting in the United States—or whether the Supreme Court is willing to step in and deem the law unconstitutional.

Per The Verge, “President Joe Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act—which passed with bipartisan support—last year, but it will take effect just one day before he hands power to President-elect Donald Trump, who has made frequent but nebulous promises to avoid a ban.”

With the hearing just wrapping up, there’s no telling if the ban will formally go through. That being said, the current speculation seems to be leaning towards TikTok’s access flossing its way away from US access.

Let’s discuss what that could mean for filmmakers.

So, How Does The TikTok Ban Affect Filmmakers?

Whether we like it or not, the millennial era of social media has had an interesting and lasting impact on film. Whether it’s how we perceive film, engage with film, or even make film, its presence is undeniably relevant.

And TikTok’s relevance and importance in filmmaking shows up in several ways.

TikTok is a Film Promotion Platform

Promoting and marketing a film is really hard for indie filmmakers—mostly because it costs money. Lots of money. But TikTok can serve as a pretty decent promotion platform for your projects. In some cases, TikTok has helped filmmakers find exposure for smaller films that would have never seen the light of day with more traditional marketing.

TikTok Let’s Filmmakers Find Their Niche

If you’re an indie filmmaker, you definitely understand how difficult it is to find your audience, especially if your niche is very…niche-y. However, due to TikTok’s algorithm magic (I don’t pretend to know how it all works), it’s incredibly easy for users to find their niche audiences to share their work with.

Your Filmmaking Network May Take a Hit

If you’re an indie filmmaker, you definitely understand how small our community truly is. Can you find your community without TikTok? Yeah, we’ve done it for years. However, a TikTok ban would mean losing a pretty powerful tool for connecting with other filmmakers.

TikTok is a Creative Outlet for Filmmakers

Also in consideration is the art of TikTok filmmaking. This may sound like an oxymoron, but in many ways, TikTok provides a fun and easy outlet for its users to engage with filmmaking techniques like shooting and editing in a way no other app quite captures. Although I’m not personally a user, I’ve always appreciated the creativity it offers and seeing its users have access to quick, easy editing in particular.

But, Could a TikTok Ban…Help Filmmakers?

Could there be an upside of the TikTok ban for filmmakers?

Potentially. Maybe the increased use of social media—particularly TikTok—has killed our attention spans to the point we no longer appreciate the beauty of sitting in a movie theater for upwards of two hours. Perhaps an exodus of the beloved short-form video service will encourage a vacuum of entertainment, encouraging a renaissance of younger folks turning to movies.

Considering how there were reportedly movies available on the app to watch as TikToks is an interesting testament to that idea.

All in all, if the ban is formally passed, it’ll be interesting to track how this plays out for filmmakers.

What do you think will happen to the fate of TikTok? Will you miss your TikToks if they’re gone? Don’t care? Let us know what you think in the comments.