Countdown to Farewell with 'TikTok'... US Users in 'Panic'

The suspension of the video sharing service 'TikTok' in the United States is imminent. With only a few hours left of usage time, American users have fallen into panic.

The video sharing service 'TikTok' will suspend its service in the United States starting from 2:01 PM Korean Standard Time.

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On the 17th (local time), the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the request to suspend the so-called 'TikTok Ban Act,' and TikTok's service will be suspended from 12:01 AM Eastern Time on the 19th (2:01 PM Korean time). As the time approaches, American users are increasingly feeling the reality that the service will actually be stopped and are busy preparing for farewell. Once the service ends, a popup message notifying the service suspension will appear when accessing the application (app), and users will only have the option to download their data from the app.

Local users are bidding farewell by editing and uploading viral videos of memories shared on TikTok. Companies that used TikTok for promotion are also busy with their farewell messages. Film production company Lionsgate posted edited scenes from the blockbuster movie 'The Hunger Games' two days before the scheduled service suspension date, writing "currently crashing out."

Some have denied the service suspension or expressed hope that operations in the U.S. will resume. Creators who generated income through TikTok have stated they will wait for the service to resume in the U.S., but if that does not happen, they are concerned that they will eventually have to gather followers again on other platforms.

Mark Gaetano, a TikTok creator with 4.5 million followers under the pseudonym 'Snaky Maki,' sent a message of thanks and farewell to his American followers, who make up 75% of his followers. He also expressed concern that if the TikTok ban is enforced in the U.S., a ban might also be imposed in Canada.

This situation stems from the passage of the so-called 'TikTok Ban Act' by the U.S. Congress in April last year. The number of TikTok users in the U.S. reaches 170 million. Ahead of TikTok's service suspension, Americans are flocking to 'Xiaohongshu,' the Chinese version of Instagram. On the 13th, Rednote, the international version of Xiaohongshu, ranked first in free downloads on the Apple App Store. The purpose of enforcing the TikTok Ban Act is due to concerns that China could collect sensitive information of Americans or exert undue influence on public opinion through TikTok, but if Americans turn to another Chinese app, the purpose of the TikTok Ban Act is inevitably undermined, according to some evaluations.

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