Alaskan influencers react after SCOTUS upholds TikTok ban

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law that could ban the social media platform TikTok, just one week after hearing arguments from owners of the application who oppose the ban.

The decision was released Friday, just two days before the ban would take effect.

TikTok is owned by Chinese parent company ByteDance. If ByteDance doesn’t sell to an American business by Sunday, it will be illegal for U.S. internet hosting services and app stores to distribute the TikTok app.

John Derting is an Alaskan with more than 4.6 million followers on TikTok. He takes viewers on trips to remote parts of Alaska and the world — drinking crystal clear glacial water and showcasing cool caverns.

That just scratches the surface of what he shares on TikTok and other social media platforms.

In an interview with Alaska’s News Source, Derting said that he isn’t too concerned with the possibility of a TikTok ban in the United States, but doesn’t think it’s warranted.

“From what I’ve seen, public information, I’ve not seen a single thing that actually says that [China is] a threat to our national security,” Derting said.

“I think there’s not a good reason for it to be banned, from what the public is perceived to see.”

He said he’s not concerned with the platform going away because when it comes to revenue, Meta’s Facebook and Instagram reels generate more money.

“I don’t think TikTok ever paid out that much,” Derting said.

“Even when I was going mega-viral on there like there was a time when I got about 150 million views in a single 28 or 30-day period, which I say it’s a month term, and I think their payout for that was like $500 or $600.”

TikTok does have its advantages though.

“But in terms of ease to go viral, TikTok is still probably one of the kings,” he said.

“Like, think of your mom, a person who doesn’t aspire to do social media for a living, they can be posting a TikTok, a funny video of their cat or their car — something in the driveway, and go mega viral with 100 million views overnight.”

“That ability to go that viral is really kind of a TikTok phenomenon.”

Derting, a former mechanic in the military, said that the big difference between platforms like TikTok and Instagram are the algorithms that decide what a consumer views.

“What makes TikTok unique is, I’ve seen things go viral that were in favor of either side [politically], and I’ve seen them in the same few minutes scrolling on the platform,” he explained.

“I didn’t see as much, I don’t want to say censorship, but I saw a lot of things just going viral that would have probably been stopped from going viral on Facebook or Instagram,” he said.

“So TikTok seemed a little bit more willing to let either side show their colors.”

TikTok’s fate will play out this weekend with millions of Americans paying close attention.

Derting said he appreciates the platform and enjoys creating content, but he’d be just as happy being a mechanic.

“I kind of see the TikTok ban as also being in a weird way a good thing for society because people do spend too much time on their phones,” he said.

“So as someone who needs people to spend time with their phones to make a living, I shouldn’t be saying this, but if it’s a chance for people to get out there ‘cause this what I’m doing when I’m out here doing this... That’s real life when you’re small in the grass, when you’re watching these bears, when your when your hand’s in that cold water, you’re feeling cold. That’s real life.

“And I wish more people were out [experiencing the world].”

Danika Olson has a different perspective. She is a social media influencer and content creator from Alaska who runs a business on TikTok.

“My business is called ‘Girl in Alaska’ and I also have another business called the ‘Alaska Brand,’” she said. “I’ve lived in Alaska since I was two years old, I love Alaska.”

“I promote Alaska on my page. I promote tours, lodges, Airbnb’s. I do travel planning, I host group trips. So anything and all things Alaska, that’s my jam.”

Olson said TikTok going away could have a negative effect on her business.

“I could see a loss in sales or loss in followers, less people maybe seeing my brands and my accounts and the content that I’m creating,” she expressed.

“There is a flip side to it though. It’s going to force people to go to these other platforms, so you could see [my business] on my other pages.”

Olson can charge between $1,500 to $3,000 for a business that wants to appear on one of her reels. She thinks consumers will just find the next platform if TikTok goes away.

“I’m not necessarily worried about it,” Olson said.

“I feel like this rumor has come about numerous times where they’ve talked about banning it. Who knows if it’s going to happen?”

“But I will pivot and I’ll move to another platform and just continue, but it’s not going to stop me.”

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