TikTok May Be A ‘Security Threat,’ But It Is Social Media Marketers And Influencers Who Feel Threaten By Potential Ban

By Adam

Many in government warn of TikTok’s threat, but it isn’t real. … [+]The platform is a concern for marketers and influencers who have come to depend on it. In fact, the threat for those individuals could be that the platform could be banned – leaving them without the audience that took great time and effort to build.(AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

The top U.S. officials of the intelligence community (IC), agreed to a U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Wednesday that TikTok owned by China is a threat for national security.

Christopher Wray, Director Federal Bureau of Investigation made clear that this popular app would remain banned from federal devices to members of the committee.

“TikTok has never been approved, nor will it ever be.” It’s my understanding, that it’s going to be implemented across the whole federal government,” Wray said in testimony to answer questions by Marco Rubio (R. Florida).

Rubio called TikTok “bad for America” and said it was “one of most valuable surveillance tools in the world.” Rubio added, “This is substantial national security concern for the nation of a type that we never faced in the previous.” The end of it all, it is not about one grown man posting videos to YouTube that other people with jobs should not be posting. It’s about all these other things that we’ve talked about—the data, the ability to manipulate information.”

Although many government officials are warning about the danger TikTok poses, it is unlikely to be a problem for influencers or marketers who have grown to depend on the platform. In fact, the threat for those individuals could be that the platform could be banned – leaving them without the audience that took great time and effort to build.

Scott Steinberg, brand marketing expert said “We cannot deny that TikTok’s become one of most effective platforms for reaching an enormous audience.” The future could see a fragmented marketplace for marketers and influencers. TikTok may be the only way to reach youth markets in this manner.

Huge Audience

Data from CouponFollow.com shows that Gen Z spent an average of 8 hours a week on TikTok and had more spending power on TikTok then any other social media site. A third of Gen Z users also stated that they would be buying more on TikTok than at brick-and mortar stores.

TikTok will continue to be used by marketers and advertisers, even though a ban may soon come. The app’s low cost and high ability to reach a wide audience are reasons for TikTok being popular. Digital marketers must pivot their plans to look at other short-form video platforms and invest in influencer marketing. “The ability to reach millions of people with just a 30-second video won’t be possible anymore,” Adam Dornbusch, EnTribe, an SaaS platform for creators, said.

Dornbusch suggested further that a complete ban on TikTok would be unlikely. However, digital marketers may consider spending …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer