With news of a TikTok ban looming, you may be fleeing to other apps such as Instagram or Youtube. After everyone moves on from TikTok if the ban goes through, who will be remembered from TikTok?
Since June 22nd, 2022, Khabane Lame has had the most followed TikTok account. Khaby has over 162.4 million followers and has gained over 2.5 billion likes. He leaves a legacy of mocking over-complicated TikTok videos. His fame comes after passing who was the most followed creator for two years, Charli D’Amelio. Charli leaves behind a legacy of dancing videos and anywhere from books to podcasts to even a mattress.
The current third most followed TikTok account is MrBeast, known mainly for his giveaways and challenges involving large amounts of money. Mr. Beast’s real name is James Stephen “Jimmy” Donaldson. He is likely to move to other short-video platforms where he already maintains a significant presence.
The fourth most followed TikTok account, with over 94 million followers, is Bella Poarch. Bella Poarch mainly got her TikTok fame in 2020 from lip-syncing videos to songs.
Lastly, at the number five spot, it is Addison Rae. With over 88 million followers, Addison is famous for dancing videos.
There are over one billion active users on TikTok; some other popular names are Zach King, Jason Derulo, and Kimberly Loaiza, to name a few. These users still are huge names, and according to an article written by IMDb, they make over one hundred thousand dollars on each video they post.
The five creators I just mentioned all maintain some form of an account on most other platforms that are considered competitors to TikTok, but having less fame on them could bring new trends, names, and overall change. With TikTok forgotten, will these creators maintain a real attendance, or will they take the money from TikTok and live their lives disconnected? Personally, I believe some of these creators will dramatically lower their video qualities on other platforms while riding off the fame of their TikTok careers.
Do people actually watch these creators? I asked Isaias Gomez, a student at North Canyon, what he sees on TikTok. Isaias states he watches TikTok every day; however, he couldn’t even recall seeing these creators on his feed. This might be because the algorithim is custom catered to each indivual user. While you may not notice these names, it’s likely if you use TikTok a bit that you have seen these creators before.
With the TikTok ban coming fast, these creators will have to have a plan on what apps they should use. Overall, the ban will impact the smaller creators the most. The ones that are just beginning to gain traction will take the hardest hit. You can reach out to your favorite creators and ask them what platform they might be moving to.
