The recent banning of TikTok in Jordan has cast a shadowover the realm of influencer marketing and public relations in the country.What was once a thriving local digital community has now been relegated to theunderground, accessible only through VPNs.
The decision was made in response to the proliferation ofmisinformation and propaganda on the platform, leading the government tobelieve that the content could incite violence and disrupt public order. Thoughthe decision was made in the interest of protecting public safety andwell-being, it has been met with mixed reactions from the public.
TikTok had become a popular and powerful tool that allowedinfluencers and brands to connect with their target market and reach a vastaudience. With its innovative algorithms, unique features, and personalfeel, users were able to create intimate relationships with influencers andbrands alike, ushering in a whole new era for the PR and marketing industry.
Without this powerful tool, brands and influencers have beenleft floundering, uncertain of what lies ahead. Countless social mediastrategies that had previously taken access to TikTok for granted have now beenscrapped, and social media professionals are left wondering if they should waitfor the platform to be reinstated, or reformulate their strategies entirely.
In the meantime, influencers and brands have been migratingto other platforms, trying to cobble together fragments of their lostcommunities. One of TikTok’s most unique features was its unrivaled reach andengagement rates, and influencers are struggling to recreate this on platformslike Instagram and YouTube. furthermore, the lack of access to an interface asuser-friendly as TikTok’s, and its unique and innovative features such as"duets" and automatic greenscreen, has also significantly slowed downthe creative process.
So how have influencers and brands adapted to these changes?
Other platforms have long been trying to recreate TikTok'ssecret formula for years, with Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and othershort-form video content seeing an unprecedented boom. Though these platformshave yet to capture the unique magic that was TikTok, they still show muchpromise in way of a possible TikTok replacement, if the ban subsists.
The world of social media has bred evolution unlike anythingseen throughout human history. Although this ban has provided the PR andinfluencing world with a significant setback, I do not doubt that the industrywill bounce back and continue to prosper, whether or not TikTok is reinstated.
