As TikTok comes under fire in the United States, content creators in Philadelphia are contemplating how a possible national ban of the video-sharing app could affect their personal and professional lives. 

"It's disheartening," Brandon Edelman, the Philly-based content creator known to his 616,000 TikTok followers as @bran_flakezz, said of the potential ban. "I think TikTok brings a lot of positivity to the world through education, storytelling and supporting businesses. It's fun to be a scroller, and it's even more fun to be a creator." 

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As Edelman notes, TikTok posts may bring levity to the lives of some users. It also rakes in big bucks for creators and businesses alike. A report from Oxford Economics estimated that TikTok's 170 million U.S. users contributed $24 billion to the county's economy in 2023. 

But this may soon change. If passed, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act would require parent company ByteDance, which is based in China, to either sell the app to a U.S. company or face a national ban. 

The House voted 352-65 in favor of passing the bill, sending it to the Senate where it faces uncertain fate. 

“I'm concerned about the national security implications of TikTok's ties to the Chinese Communist Party," Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) said in an email. "As I review the House bill, my top priority remains U.S. national security and protecting Americans from influence by an adversarial government.”

For Philly's influencers, banning TikTok could affect their income and business design. It's not a new challenge, as flying the coop from apps that aren't working for the audience anymore is part of the industry — be it the death of Vine or moving from YouTube to short-form content on TikTok or Instagram. Adaption is part of the game, but it could still throw a wrench in the mix, especially for those who rose quickly on the app and haven't had a chance to build their audience up across the internet. 

Creators are also wondering why leaders are currently targeting TikTok, in a sea of other problems society is combatting today. 

"With all of the negativity in the world, it seems strange to me that the banning of TikTok is a focus right now," Edelman said.

Christina Mitchell, better known on the internet as half of @phillyfoodladies, argued: "It just feels like it's such a unimportant issue. They could be focusing on so many other things, but they're choosing to focus on this fun app that teens use." 

Scrolling for gold

Edelman is a self-proclaimed TikTok "scroller," using the app to keep up with pop culture and his own favorite creators. But he also is a full-time content creator who posts on the app twice a day, making humorous and often relatable videos about life as a 20-something in Philly. Edelman says he has reached 67 million views and earned 6 million likes on the videos he's posted within the past 60 days. 

While Edelman's posts are usually lighthearted, they're highly important to his livelihood.

"I make the majority of my yearly income by posting brand sponsored posts on TikTok," he said. "It's extremely important to my business."

@bran__flakezz tag the bestie that never left your side #relatable #highschool #bestie #bff ♬ original sound - bran_flakezz

Edelman's not alone in using TikTok to build a business. When Kory Aversa of Aversa PR (@Phillypublicist) first downloaded the app, he "didn't understand it" and quickly deleted it. But when COVID-19 rolled around and people were searching for ways to stay connected, Aversa saw the way viral TikTok trends could bring people together from around the world, building an online community during a time of loneliness and uncertainty. 

Now, he's a popular content creator with more than 123,000 followers and 7.8 million views on TikTok. Aversa sees TikTok as an important tool for "inspiration and just to feel connected to people." 

"I would really hope that they find a resolution so that they don't have to (ban TikTok)," he said. "Because otherwise I think it's removing a major, important component of our life. It's like getting rid of that thing that made me feel connected, made me feel not lonely and made me understand what was going on with the world, especially during a global pandemic."

Aversa now uses the app to unwind, laugh and catch up on the latest news. He also shares content about Philadelphia, including Aversa PR client stories like grand openings and holiday attractions. He's had his fair share of viral videos over the past few years, including a clip of a hippo at the Philadelphia Zoo crunching on a giant pumpkin that received 4 million likes. Aversa says the viral videos "really opened up my reach to a much wider audience," and TikTok has become an important and versatile tool in his professional life.

@phillypublicist Bombs away! Hippo catches pumpkin and crushes it in 1 bite 🎃 #halloween #tiktokhalloween #zoo #philadelphiazoo #pumpkinspice #hippo #philadelphia ♬ Halloween ・ cute horror song - PeriTune

"It really lets me as a PR person get out of the box in terms of not just sending a press release and some photos, but bringing a new dimension to the PR projects that we're putting out there," Aversa said.

Terrill Haigler, @_yafavtrashman, posts about sanitation and cleaning up Philly streets. He posts a lot of the same content for Instagram and TikTok, he said. While he has more of a following on Instagram, he said he noticed that he gets a lot more worldwide views on TikTok.

Outside of work, he also uses the app to bond with his kids; his daughter will send him dances that they'll do together. 

"It's not just for businesses, it's for personal as well, so I think TikTok is a universal tool for keeping people together," Haigler said. "I really hope it doesn't get banned."

For Mitchell, she said she primarily uses Instagram and TikTok is a secondary option for more raw, unfiltered content for her posts about the Philly restaurant scene. 

It's not just influencers and content creators who would be affected by the ban, she said. A lot of local businesses use the platform to promote brands or products, too, and will also have to pivot. 

"People are resilient," Mitchell said. "I'm sure we'll find something else. But in the short term, I definitely think it's going to hurt."

@phillyfoodladies #CapCut how have I never been to Writer’s Block until now?? #philly #phillytiktok #phillytok ♬ original sound - tay

The TikTok of tomorrow 

The possible dissolution of TikTok in the United States has complicated things for Aversa's company, as he's had to explain to clients why posting on TikTok may not be as lucrative for businesses as it once was. 

"In some aspects, it's confusing the message with the clients who don't fully understand how viral videos go and how TikTok operates and have seen the fun we're all having last few years," Aversa said. "But now the message is kind of like, 'Well, now let's wait and see a little bit. Is it going to be banned or is it not going to be banned? Is this the time to get on TikTok or is it not the time to get on TikTok?' I think it's made things a little more confusing." 

Aversa said that an aspect of the potential ban that's particularly upsetting is the fact that it has already "disbanded some of the community" on the app. He said he's been spending a bit less time on TikTok and instead prioritizing Reels, Instagram's video-sharing feature. But TikTok and Reels aren't exactly interchangeable, in his perspective.

"There are very big differences," he said. "On Reels, you don't see as many people doing the same trends across the world, and the algorithm feed is just much more specific. It tends to prioritize the last couple of things that you saw. I'm not seeing the trends go as wide on Reels unless you really dig down for them. TikTok just was always more organic." 

For other local creators, TikTok's value is more about driving revenue for other social media accounts. 

For Mitchell, Reels are already where she makes the majority of her money, so she'll likely focus more of her energy on Instagram if a ban does go forward. But she'd be willing to try out a new app if something rose out of the wake. In fact, she noted it could be the chance for her to try something a little different, like a new city or working on something besides food. Creators can get pigeonholed into making only one area of content that their audience responds to, she said, and it could be an opportunity to rebrand or start fresh. 

"The algorithm is very frustrating and I feel like there are times where I'm kind of over it. If none of my videos are performing well, I'm like, maybe I should try something else," Mitchel said. "But yeah, I look at it as an opportunity. If a new app were to come out of this, I would try it out, I would kind of be excited to see what the possibilities are."

The social media market ebbs and flows, Haigler said, and he thinks TikTok has replaced Instagram as the standard platform of the moment. If there is a ban, he said he'll likely try to move over to YouTube, something he's been told to do already. But if the app makes it through without a ban, he thinks it'll be here to stay for a long time. 

"TikTok is just going to keep evolving, people are going to figure out new ways to use it, new ways to be influenced by it," Haigler said. "If we can get past this ban, I truly believe TikTok isn't going anywhere." 

If TikTok doesn't survive, Edelman said that in order to stay successful financially he'd have to pivot to sharing his content on Instagram or YouTube and encourage followers to continue watching him on those platforms. For now, he's just planning to take things one day at a time. 

"If we truly only have six months left on the app, I will do everything I can to make it my best six months of content," Edelman said.