The Tiktok Slap.
As much as we don't want to say it, here we are.
UPDATE
(January 20, 2025 at 7AM PHT) - In less than 24 hours later from the ban, TikTok has been restored and made this announcement on their X (formerly Twitter)’s account @TikTokPolicy.
In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive. It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States. - @TikTokPolicy (1:27 AM · Jan 20, 2025)
While it is awesome news, we can’t deny it could be slapped again at some time in the future. We will keep this article below as originally was to remind ourselves not to depend on the platform.
Thank you.
Yup, here we are.
If you have been running an online business since then, you may have heard of many slaps.
The Google slap, the Facebook slap, and so on slaps.
But today, the history of slaps has a new chapter: the TikTok slap.
But why?
If you haven’t caught up, basically last year, outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden signed an order detailing that if ByteDance, the platform's owners, refuse to sell within 270 days, they will face severe consequences, which yes, include the ban from downloading on digital markets and even using the platform.
And today, here we are. 170 million users in America are no longer able to access the platform.
Everything that they have. Short videos, dances, monetization, all of that on that platform. Gone in a snap.
But you are thinking:
Hey, I’m not in America, at least I can still use TikTok, right?
Well, yeah, but here’s the thing.
If that is only your platform, as if no Facebook, no Twitter, no Instagram, no YouTube, only TikTok, you are possibly f**ked.
A percentage of those 170 million people likely only has TikTok and nothing else.
And for that, where the heck would they go from there?
If you heard about the Arsenio Hall thing, you know that he had a television show back then; he became popular due to a guest playing an instrument, then the network suddenly canceled the show, and we never saw him again until years later, when he participated in a competition for a TV show, in which, if I remember correctly, he tried to contact everyone he could, but to to no avail.
So what am I saying here?
Divest in other traffic sources.
Use multiple traffic sources. Use Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and email strategically.
Oh, and build a list of your own.
Your email list is your base. There is nothing to worry about regarding algorithms, bans, or shutdowns. That list is yours forever.
\Forever as long as you keep it growing and active.*
Let me tell you this: If your audience lives entirely on TikTok today, imagine the cost of losing them tomorrow—without warning or a backup plan.
That is already on Google Ads. Thousands of businesses disappeared overnight because they only depended on that single platform.
What are you waiting for?
Start building something you control now. Control your audience. Because if you don’t, platforms will control your business—and your income.
