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A TikTok ban could result in the loss of substantial earnings for small businesses and social media creators. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the China-based platform, with over 1 billion users globally and 170 million in the U.S., is at risk of being banned as a result of the intention to “protect the national security of the United States from the threat posed by foreign adversary controlled applications.” The ban is expected to go into effect on Jan. 19, 2025, depending on whether the platform is unwilling to sell the application, per ABC News. On Dec. 6, 2024, the federal appeals court denied TikTok’s push to overturn the ban. Within days, TikTok doubled down and requested an emergency injunction to allow the Supreme Court to review the decision to ban the application at the start of the upcoming year. “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional...
Content creators are taking over. Entertainment is entering a new era as attention shifts away from traditional cable TV, streaming platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and Peacock, and even movie theaters. More people are seeking fresh, innovative ways to engage their time and dollars. And the creators are certainly delivering with engaging content that circulates the web and is also attracting countless celebrities and companies who are looking to capitalize in a new territory. Forbes notes the creator economy is currently valued at $250 billion, and that number is projected to nearly double by 2027. Three top Black creators are not just participating in this revolution — they’re leading it. Kai Cenat Kai Cenat currently holds the crown as Twitch’s most-subscribed streamer, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. The New Yorker, who once lived in a shelter, recently concluded his month-long November 2024 “Mafiathon 2.” Users tuned in to his 24/7 Twitch livestream throughout the month,...
Cliff Vmir continues to build on his success as a seasoned hair stylist. Turning His Passion For Hair Into A Brand Vmir began showing interest in hair care at 8 years old. However, at 14, when his parents separated, he fully committed to his passion. This allowed him to financially support his mother, who had been out of work for three months due to a knee replacement. “It wasn’t until my mom and my dad split up completely, when I was 14, that I was able to kind of go in full-throttle and understand that this isn’t something that I wanna just play around with. This is something that I can make money from,” Vmir told AFROTECH™ in an interview. “It’s crazy ’cause it’s something that I love to do… I also feel like with my mom and my dad splitting up, it was just kind of something that financially I wanted to help my mom. So not saying that I was forced into it, but I felt like it was only right for me to just use what I have to get what we need, and I was able to kind of help support...
Khaby Lame is letting the numbers do the talking. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Lame, now one of the most-followed creators , was once a factory worker in Chivasso, Italy. “I was really poor,” he said on a panel during Forbes Creator Upfronts in partnership with Walmart Creator on Oct. 29, 2024. Lame was later fired from his job, returned to live with his family, and decided to not look back. Instead, he chose to bank on what was once merely a hobby — TikTok — during the onset of COVID-19. “When I started making videos, people told me to get a proper job,” he mentioned to Forbes in 2023. “But I continued to make videos because that’s what I like doing, even though no one was watching them.” It would ultimately become a money machine because he stood out for reacting to memes and viral videos without saying a word. “It’s my face and my expressions which make people laugh,” he told The New York Times in 2021. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Khabane Lame (@khaby00)...
Druski has the content creation game on lock. As previously reported by AFROTECH™, the Maryland native’s foray into comedy dates back to skits he shared on Instagram under the handle druski2funny. According to Forbes, he was known for his humor as the class clown at an early age, though it wasn’t always to the amusement of his teachers and parents. “I think just being a class clown early on that’s what kind of grooved me in my career,” he told Forbes. “Sometimes when you’re young you really don’t know what your purpose is. But thankfully I have good parenting, so now we figured it out in the midst of all the craziness, but they don’t always support being a c lass clown while in school and being young. I had to figure it all out later in life. I came back to it, and I was like ‘All right this is my purpose.'” Before his big break, Druski faced various challenges, leading him to work different jobs — some he was fired from, others he quit. He considered pursuing higher education and...
DeMarcus Shawn has the formula for building a strong following across social platforms. Shawn is an online creator known for sharing humorous skits on TikTok and Instagram. His sense of humor has always been evident among his family since growing up on the outskirts of Chicago, IL. He also draws inspiration from them still today. “I was able to experience all different facets of life growing up through school, through family and just everyday nuances,” he mentioned on the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast. Today, Shawn is a full-time content creator, but his journey began in 2017 with a 9-to-5 role as a Starbucks barista. While there he decided to turn more of his attention towards content creation in 2021. It was then that he was able to sustain himself through earnings via TikTok and his photography business, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. “When I quit Starbucks, I already had money saved up,” he said, per the “Black Tech Green Money podcast.” “It was 2021, so I had money saved...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. “In the Club, we are all family” — does that ring a bell? TikTok has taken the world by storm since its transition from Musical.ly to TikTok following its acquisition by China-based Bytedance in 2017. Whether for dances, skits, or news, TikTok has become the destination for people worldwide to discover content that resonates with them. Although it serves as a platform for entertainment, learning, and creativity, TikTok has also been regarded as a national security risk by governments around the world, including those in India, Europe, and the United States. In India, TikTok and other Chinese-owned companies were banned in 2020. I was working as a team lead on TikTok’s global product operations team during its rise and subsequent ban in India. The ban restricted new downloads of the app, but employees in our India office were free to work on other projects with colleagues who needed extra support...
When considering the “It Girl”, Kirah Ominique is top of mind. She had no intentions of being a full-time content creator. In fact, she had first envisioned attending an Historically Black College and University, potentially Howard University or Texas Southern University, to obtain a pharmaceutical degree. Although that did not become a reality, her Plan B was to always be involved in the beauty field. “I was supposed to come become a pharmacy tech first. Girl, I failed pharmacy math like, ‘Yeah no let’s go to P lan B.’ Now Plan B is Plan A, doing something in like the beauty field but a mix with the medical. Or maybe a traveling nurse wouldn’t sound too bad either,” she explained in a YouTube video posted in May 2024. Ominique has stayed true to her interests in diving into the beauty world through content creation, which also encompasses fashion and lifestyle and has led to a strong social media presence. @kirahominique Get Ready With Me For Dinner In Thailand , Its Giving...
TikTok may be hindering its own future as it faces significant challenges that could lead to a ban in the United States . According to Fortune, a recent court hearing highlighted the app’s legal battle against a law requiring the China-based platform to be sold to a non-Chinese entity by Jan. 19, 2025, or risk being banned in America. The U.S. government’s worries center on the possibility of the Chinese government influencing content and accessing user data. During the hearings on Sept. 16, 2024, at the U.S. Court of Appeals, TikTok’s lawyers reasserted that such a sale would be impractical and infringed on the U.S. right to free speech . As AFROTECH™ previously reported, t he Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act — which TikTok is the subject of — is advancing in Congress, which could enforce parent company ByteDance’s sale of the app and restrict TikTok’s operations further in the U.S. A modified version of the bill, which was proposed to “...
Clarke Peoples had a “formulaic” road map that was disrupted by content creation. Columbia University Student Peoples was a student at Columbia University in New York, NY. It had been the only school she applied to, and she placed all her energy into perfecting her application, she shared with Business Insider. “I put in a lot of work to earn enough scholarships to get into Columbia. I spent months writing my application essay and did whatever I could to make myself a more competitive applicant. It was the only school I applied to, and soon I was in New York living out my dreams,” she said. Putting all her eggs in one basket ultimately paid off as she would be admitted into the school. She proved herself to be ambitious — pursuing an American studies degree — with an overarching goal of becoming a lawyer and launching a startup company. Peoples also had other backup plans including becoming a finance intern for a wealth management asset firm. Early Career Opportunities By her...
By capitalizing on her status as a leading beauty influencer, Jackie Aina has built the foundation for a prosperous business empire. How It Started Aina, a Nigerian-American born in California’s San Gabriel Valley, came from humbling beginnings. BuzzFeed News mentions she has six siblings, with an even split between brothers and sisters. She recalls “growing up with nothing” at times, bouncing around shelters with her mother and siblings. “Growing up, I had no leverage, I had no rich uncle,” she said, per the outlet. “We got kicked out of a shelter, we couldn’t get to another one quick enough. And when you’re a mom of seven, It’s not easy.” To change her outcome, Aina studied medicine at the California State University, Business Insider reported. That route did not pan out for Aina, and she made the decision to serve in the Army in 2008, after being convinced by her then-boyfriend. They would marry — although they later divorce — and she moved to Hawaii to live with him where she...
Being funny pays. Just look to TikToker DeMarcus Shawn as confirmation. Beginnings Growing up on the outskirts of Chicago, IL, he recalls always being funny, often creating skits or playfully imitating his family members. His humor translated well to the camera, and he would toss around various skit ideas with his two older brothers. With the rise of social media, leaning into it was natural for Shawn. Ultimately, he landed on TikTok as his breeding ground for content though initially his Instagram was geared towards his creative interests. @artbydemarcusshawn #fyp ♬ original sound – DemarcusShawn “I grew up doing music and learning how to sing and photography. I’m a guy that’s heavy on drawing and painting,” he told AFROTECH™. “ Those are my hobbies that I like to do. Outside of that, when I came into TikTok, it was more of what I’ve been doing with my siblings, but on a larger front.” Full-Time Content Creation Shawn was working on building his online presence while also employed...
Keith Lee is back with another food review, but this one is special because it hits home. According to Dexerto, the beloved TikTok food reviewer left fans stunned after sharing a video of him testing out his brother’s new restaurant, Braised by Kevin Lee, located in Florida. “Me and my family are in Hollywood, Florida and the food in this bag is from my brother’s restaurant,” Keith said in the May 27 video. “When I say my brother, I mean the same mom and dad. But I didn’t order it and he doesn’t know we’re here.” @keith_lee125 Braised By Kevin Lee taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic @Kevin Lee ♬ original sound – Keith Lee What’s more, before their foray into the food business, both of the Lee brothers were heavy in the competitive martial arts world. Keith spent a good amount of his life as a Bellator MMA fighter, and Kevin gained a lot of attention in the UFC before retiring in July 2023. “We all lived in [Las Vegas, NV] but he moved to Miami and opened his own pop-up,”...
TikTok has been at the center of many recent conversations. Despite its battles at Capitol Hill, the social media app is still one of the primary places Gen Z and others go for entertainment, recommendations, and news. Disney star Skai Jackson is among the people who have tapped into TikTok’s ubiquity. Jackson has been vocal about using TikTok and how it has impacted her personal life. According to a report from Blavity, the 22-year-old has a partnership with hair brand Cantu Beauty. However, her searches on TikTok taught her hairstyling techniques that would allow her to maximize the use of the products she promoted. View this post on Instagram A post shared by S K A I (@skaijackson) “I really feel like these products [Cantu] are so special because they took the time to answer everybody’s needs and deliver and put them into the product,” she told Blavity. She continued, “It’s just so amazing to see that there are millions of people in the world dealing with the same issues as me...
It looks like TikTok is standing firm on not going down without a fight. In April 2024, AFROTECH™ previously reported that President Joe Biden signed a law to ban TikTok if its owner, ByteDance, didn’t sell it within a year. The bill followed the House of Representatives’ introduction in March of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act , which aims to “protect the national security of the United States from the threat posed by foreign adversary controlled applications.” A main allegation that has come from U.S. government officials is that TikTok puts Americans’ personal data in danger of being exposed to the Chinese government, which catalyzed Biden’s law. However, TikTok has doubled down on stating the claim is false, saying it hosts data on U.S.-owned Oracle servers, according to CNN . “We will not stop fighting and advocating for you,” TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew shared in a previous statement on its platform, per AP News. “We will continue to do...