CINCINNATI — With a potential national ban on the app TikTok looming, some Cincinnati creators are questioning what it means for their future.
There are a lot of unknowns about what the ban entails. Some believe the app will be removed from app stores, but can still be accessed by people with it downloaded, while others believe it may go completely dark.
Barring a last-second change, the ban on the app will go into effect on Sunday.
"That does make me nervous,” said a TikTok creator who goes by the name Heather Savage.
Savage started making videos on TikTok in 2020 during the pandemic to stay busy.
"COVID started and I was like 'I do not know what I'm going to do with myself,'” Heather Savage said.
What started as a hobby quickly became a source of revenue.
Her videos consist of dancing and comedy and she’s amassed over 6 million followers.
"I want relatable things for people to come to my page, no drama and just say, ‘hey I can escape whatever is going on for 30 seconds, 60 seconds, a minute and a half’ whatever it may be,” Heather Savage said.
Heather Savage says she can connect with others on TikTok in a way she feels isn’t the same on other apps. She says that’s largely because TikTok’s algorithm is more unique and user-friendly in comparison to other apps.
Her surge on the app has also connected her to other local creators, like Sean Fogelson.
Fogelson, also known on TikTok as “That One Mailman”, started making videos when he worked as a mailman a few years ago.
He says at the time, he wanted to quit his job, but he began making videos on TikTok and the app gave him a new motivation.
“Work wasn’t that bad, because I would think of a video and I guess that rush, that adrenaline, once I thought of an idea, I went ‘Oh let’s go ahead and get these bills slung, I’m going home and shooting a video,’” Fogelson said.
Fogelson makes funny videos and has more than 2 million followers.
His success on the app has led him to unexpected opportunities, like meeting Jelly Roll and pursuing a career in standup comedy.
"Next thing you know I'm on tour doing comedy, it's crazy,” Fogelson said.
Fogelson and Savage are worried if the app is banned those kinds of opportunities won’t be available for other creators.
"Some people don't got friends outside of social media, and when you get on TikTok, it's like a community of people that, just like, they just love you,” Fogelson said.
As far as their pages, Fogelson and Savage plan on continuing to make videos until they can’t.
"We just have to keep positive and hope that people are going to do that right thing,” Heather Savage said.
Heather Savage hopes the ban will be delayed. She says some people are signing this petition to prevent the app from being banned.
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