In the last few years I’ve been scaling back my use of social media, meaning, among other things, that I’m not in the crowd using the highly popular app TikTok. Which in turn means I have no very strong views about what happens to it, a subject that has become a heated issue — involving critics and users — over the last year or so.
Legislation passed by Congress earlier this year has aimed to stop distribution of the app if its parent company, ByteDance, doesn’t unload it by Jan. 19. President-elect Donald Trump hasn’t been clear about what he may or may not do about it, and the Supreme Court has said that it will weigh in, so we don’t know what will happen.
The specific issue concerns the influence of China’s government — and mass data collection from people here — that might be felt through its use. It’s a complex debate that I won’t try to litigate here.
TikTok clearly has been exerting itself, however, to lobby people not only in Washington, D.C., but out to the far reaches of the Pacific Northwest. A few days ago, from TikTok or some organization acting on its behalf — the provenance wasn’t entirely clear — I received an email which sought to pitch the case that TikTok has a big impact on a lot of people and businesses in Idaho. A raft of statistics and analysis was included. That did get my attention.
The email wasn’t trying to make the case that Idaho’s connections to TikTok were notably greater or different from those in other states. Still, the numbers as cited, if they’re anywhere close to correct — and I have no reason to think they’re not — offer some broader food for thought.
I was directed to a report (apparently crafted at the behest of TikTok) from Oxford Economics, an international consulting group based in California, which ran a survey with state-specific information. Idaho’s was not notably unusual, but it was eye-opening anyway.
The survey figured that 440,000 Idahoans (close to a quarter of the state’s population) use TikTok, as do about 19,000 businesses. That’s a massive slice of the state, and if you look at usage among younger age groups, the percentage probably is very high.
The report focused mostly on the business impacts. The letter summarized:
“Small business use of TikTok contributed $120 million to GDP and supported 1,300 jobs. SMB (small business) activity also generated around $28 million in federal, state, and local tax revenue in the state. Small businesses in Idaho say their business sales increased after promoting their products and services on TikTok, and 68% say their business sold out of a product after promoting it on TikTok. 65% of SMBs in Idaho say TikTok grants them the ability to connect with people from diverse communities who would otherwise be unreachable, and 70% have attracted a new investor or an additional investment through a TikTok interaction.”
And according to the survey, about two-thirds of small- and medium-sized businesses said they felt they needed to keep using the app, and using it in more advanced ways, owing to its effectiveness.
Say the word TikTok, and Idaho isn’t exactly what comes first to mind. But a look at the practical effects do raise some questions. What would happen — would there be negative business impacts in Idaho — if TikTok were banished? If it should be, what ought to be done to mitigate the effects, if that can be done? Is there any role here for state or local governments?
We live in an interconnected world. That doesn’t mean we have to connect with everything (and I’m no more inclined than I was, personally, to plug in to TikTok).
But if we cut ties, we need to be careful about what we’re doing, think through all the effects and be mindful of the consequences.
As we head into a new presidential era, that principle may be worth application in a bunch of other arenas as well.
Stapilus is a former Idaho newspaper reporter and editor who blogs at ridenbaugh.com. He may be contacted at stapilus@ridenbaugh.com.
