TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew sits before the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20.Kevin Lamarque/The Associated Press
Alberto Galasso is a professor and the Anthony S. Fell Chair in New Technologies and Commercialization at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. He is the author of The Management of Innovation.
“Never let a good crisis go to waste,” Winston Churchill famously said – a lesson TikTok seems to have embraced.
There has been much speculation about what transpired during the three days leading up to TikTok’s 14-hour shutdown in the U.S., as a law banning it was upheld by the Supreme Court. When operations resumed, TikTok thanked U.S. President Donald Trump “for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties.” This suggests that intense political negotiations took place behind the scenes between ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, and the U.S. government.
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Beyond the high-stakes political negotiations, the last three days saw specific content and interactions on the platform amplified by TikTok’s algorithm. This enabled TikTok to navigate the turbulent waters quite well.
The first significant moment was the decision by many creators to open accounts on China’s RedNote app, known domestically as Xiaohongshu. Several factors seemed to drive this shift. For some creators, it was a way to voice their disagreement with the ban. For many young TikTok users, RedNote offered the appeal of a fresh platform, standing in stark contrast to the familiarity of Meta or Instagram, where their parents likely have accounts. Other influencers viewed RedNote as a unique opportunity to tap into new, less saturated markets, avoiding the fierce competition with established influencers on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Posts about the move to RedNote appeared to be well amplified by TikTok’s algorithm, while posts making statements such as “I’d rather move to China than Instagram Reels,” received millions of views, along with videos of TikTokers expressing excitement about expanding their networks by connecting with a large base of Chinese users. From ByteDance’s perspective, this sent a clear message, demonstrating that TikTok could successfully redirect users to non-U.S. alternative platforms.
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A second noticeable phenomenon was the intense interaction among American platform users in the two days leading up to the ban. Social media platforms compete for users’ time and engagement. In the lead-up to the ban, engagement on TikTok did not appear to decline, as TikTokers actively commented on, shared and adapted content created by others to amplify discussions surrounding the issue.
Also in this case, part of this activity reflected a political disagreement, exemplified by a flagship protest song criticizing the U.S government for focusing on TikTok as the biggest problem rather than addressing issues such as global warming, access to health care, corruption and gun violence. In addition, influencers with large followings posted heartbreaking farewell videos to their fan bases.
Communities of book commentators, aspiring writers, artists and other niche groups also engaged significantly, creating what felt like a collective last goodbye.
The algorithm appeared to encourage this type of interaction. In particular, a mass-following trend seemed to be promoted, where American users were encouraged to follow TikTokers with smaller follower counts. This tapped into the aspiration of many users to become influencers, creating an opportunity for more individuals to experience the excitement of having a large fan base. This was another smart move by the platform, as users who gained a larger following are likely to feel more invested in their accounts and more inclined to return and post as the ban is lifted.
The high level of engagement among American users was mirrored by Canadians and other international users. Canadian TikTokers wanted to seize the opportunity to say goodbye to their favourite American influencers. At the same time, posts from non-American creators hinted at excitement over potentially stepping into the spotlight as U.S.-based influencers were pushed out of the platform. In this instance as well, the algorithm appeared to encourage increased interaction, particularly among Canadian TikTokers, pushing the message that views from American users might be replaced by domestic or other international audiences.
When TikTok returned online following a statement by Mr. Trump, many users in the U.S. and abroad found themselves part of a tighter and more active network of TikTokers than ever before. Moreover, American social media giants and the government learned that in response to a ban TikTok could steer U.S.-based content creators toward other international platforms.
Immense legal and political challenges lie ahead for TikTok in the coming weeks, but the platform seems to have navigated the issue with remarkable resilience.