TYLER, Texas — The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday that could ban TikTok from app stores in six months, if its China-based parent company ByteDance can’t find a buyer for the app in that time. That could have a wider impact than most realize, especially for some of the content creators in East Texas.
"Honestly I can’t lie and say that it isn’t devastating, especially for creators like myself who have built a whole career on TikTok which is crazy to say," said content creator Makayla Johnson.
Johnson is a 21-year-old Tyler resident with almost 300,000 followers and 15 million likes on her TikTok page. Johnson has been creating content online since she was in high school, but her account really blew up in 2022 when she documented her struggles, and eventual triumph over transverse myelitis.
Now, she makes much of her income on the app. And while she acknowledges the data and privacy concerns associated with TikTok, she feels that maybe the House should be prioritizing other things.
"I just remember it was like a very prevalent issue for people in Congress for some reason that I can’t really say because I feel like there are more important issues to really focus on," Johnson said.
Social media can be a toxic place. But Johnson has enjoyed the fact that her TikTok viewers have been overwhelmingly supportive and positive.
"I’ve gotten my fair share of hate as well, but the positive completely overrides it. So I’ve been lucky to have a pretty positive space, and I’m not even kidding when I say that having this platform has absolutely changed my life for the better," Johnson said.
Now, Johnson is preparing for life without, as she calls it, “the people’s platform." She has plans to move the majority of her content to YouTube, potentially following in the footsteps of stars from another social media platform that’s long been gone.
"But a lot of the Vine creators switched to YouTube and made their career from there. So I think it’s all about adapting to the situations that you’re given," Johnson said.