TikTok is a name many Americans have become familiar with since its launch in 2016 and that many utilize for its various applications either to generate an income or for entertainment.

Politicians first became worried about the app in 2019 over privacy laws and other concerns about acquisition and content moderation. The bill to ban or sell it was then passed in the House of Representatives in 2025.

It was banned on Jan. 19 and was back just hours later, with a bill passed to extend the deadline for TikTok to find a US buyer in order to keep it available in the country.

According to Dan Faltesek, an associate professor in the School of Communication at Oregon State University with extensive social media research, the reality could be deeper than just an app ban.

“I think data sovereignty is the future and that countries increasingly will have what’s called the splinternet,” Faltesek said.

The splinternet is a construct that depicts the Internet as divided due to various factors, some of which relate to the current political situation.

He believes people will exist with multiple different networks based on which countries are allies with each other at any given time.

“This idea that the internet would be a global unifying force is just over,” Faltesek said. “Facebook has not only fired all their fact checkers and won’t work with their parties anymore, but they’re turning off their fact-checking algorithm.”

Since Meta owns Facebook, Threads and Instagram, and there are few other options if TikTok is banned, that leaves little reliability for the social media community.

“I think something people have to realize about these online jobs, especially content creating, is that you have to stick with where the platforms are, and you could lose everything on TikTok any second,” Faltesek said.

Faltesek said it’s important for content creators and marketing experts to be adaptable, and by being on a variety of apps, they can be prepared for sudden changes like an app ban.

According to Andy McNamara, senior director for Marketing and Communications at OSU, and who helps run the College of Liberal Arts TikTok page, “From a strategy standpoint for social media, we’ve seen enough turnover over the years where platforms come and go.”

McNamara said organizations trying to reach a younger demographic have probably seen a benefit to creating a TikTok and coming up with a strategy specific to that platform and that can change the digital marketing scope.

McNamara also mentioned that it’s important to recognize technology is always changing and there’s always something around the corner. The biggest loss, he said, would be in their creation process as TikTok makes editing more simple.