Montreal TikTokers brace for U.S. ban

The planned ban goes into effect Sunday and it’s unclear how that will affect Canadians who rely on the TikTok.

The future of the TikTok app in uncertain in the United States. The planned ban goes into effect Sunday and it’s unclear how that will affect Canadians who rely on the app.

Montreal real estate agent Tatiana Londono started using TikTok in 2020 to grow her client list — it worked.

“My entire business was transformed thanks to TikTok,” she said.

With almost three million followers, Londono sells real estate coaching courses and said most of her buyers are American.

“Americans are on this app, 150 million Americans are on this app! And these Americans are the ones watching. These are Americans are the ones that help videos go viral, and most importantly, these Americans are the ones who pay for whatever it is you’re selling online,” said Londono.

Tech expert Kris Abel said influencers should have seen the possible demise of TikTok coming.

“It’s the volatile nature of social media that platforms tend to change rather rapidly and quickly. For young TikTokers, this may be a big shock, but for anyone who’s been doing this for a while, I know people have gone from Tumblr over to YouTube, YouTube to Google hangouts, Google Hangouts over to Instagram,” she said.

With TikTok’s future uncertain, sponsors on both sides of the border are already holding back, said Abel.

“They’re going to be very, very careful, especially when it comes to the Canadian market. We know that, months ago, the Canadian offices for TikTok were shut down but the service continued in Canada. Now we don’t know what’s going to happen on Sunday.”

Entrepreneurs who are only on TikTok and no other platforms could be in trouble, says Abel. “Some of them may just have to leave the business and then find employment elsewhere. Others, it’s a case of having to maybe go back and focus on Instagram or Facebook.”

That option might be better than the new RedNote app, which has recently topped the charts on app stores.

“Anyone who wants to go and use red note’s is their has the exact same issues that TikTok does in terms of being a company that’s owned by the Chinese government,” said Abel.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the ban, based on national security concerns, is supposed to start tomorrow. Yet, the incoming U.S. President-elect, who will be sworn in on Monday, said he wants to think about it.

Meanwhile, Londono is glad she also has a presence on Instagram, although it’s a fraction of the followers she has on TikTok.