ROCHESTER – Alexander Denning, also known as Alexander the Great, and Eddie Swartzentruber, who grew up in an Amish community, are two of the region’s most prolific TikTok content creators. Both have a large number of subscribers who post their videos as entertainment and information.
This week, the two faced the prospect of being separated from their multi-stadium hearing after the U. S. House of Representatives ruled on the U. S. Supreme Court. The U. S. government will vote overwhelmingly to cut the social media platform from U. S. app stores. U. S. Still, two Minnesota representatives voted in favor of the ban. . Reps. Ilhan Omar and Dean Phillips, both Democrats, voted against the ban. Lawmakers in favor of the bill argue that TikTok poses a national security risk and is a spin-off from its Chinese parent company, Byte Dance.
Denning and Swartzentruber had similar reactions to the news: They wouldn’t be happy if it disappeared. They hope it’s not banned. But they would if they did. Their reasons were different, which mirrors the other tactics they use on the platform.
It is incredibly popular in the United States. Around 170 million Americans use the app. One-third of U. S. adults say they use theArray, and one-third of U. S. adults under 30 say they get their news on TikTok regularly.
“I don’t think I care in any way, as long as I post videos and it’s still relevant,” Denning said. “Honestly, I can lose TikTok and it wouldn’t hurt me too much. It wouldn’t hurt my pocketbook or my audience, or even the analytics I depend on.
Denning said he also posts on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube, Whatnot, Rumble and Reddit. Most likely, new programs will be created.
Denning said attitudes have shifted toward TikTok, which he said was hugely popular during the pandemic but “seems to have disappeared” more recently. Creators like Denning are dissatisfied that TikTok has removed its “author fund,” which compensates Americans for creating eye-catching content. In addition, the application has become volatile and inconsistent. At some point, an author will have a “super viral video. “Next time, your account will be “dead. “
“It’s not even like being exposed to other people you already had,” he said. “It’s a weird app. “
“Most of the time, creators are on TikTok right now. They just don’t treat their users very well,” Denning said. “And that shows over time. I mean, there’s going to be some other app coming soon, and whatever it is. One is that it will treat creators a little better.
Feeling dissatisfied with TikTok is one reason why the company’s efforts to mobilize users into a political force to protest TikTok’s ban would have arguably fallen on deaf ears, he said. Many creators, big and small, felt that TikTok had not been receptive to court cases from users over the app. So why are they worried now that TikTok wants them?
“Don’t get me wrong. TikTok is huge, and creators are excited to post on it,” Denning said. “They just know that TikTok is not a source of revenue. This is not where I can constantly rely on my audience’s exposure. “to my content.
Content creation produces one source of income for Denning (about 25% of what he earns a year), but it’s one among many. He’s also a style and an actor. He and his brother Christopher also opened an ’80s and ’90s-themed store in St. Petersburg. John’s. Charles called “Remember The Way You Felt”.
Swartzentruber said he would be sad to see TikTok banned, but that the effect on him if this happened would be limited. He’s never made a dollar with TikTok. He posts videos because he enjoys the activity. It’s funny. He meets other people who make a living through the platform, so he would feel bad for them.
“I hope it won’t be banned. But if it were banned, it probably wouldn’t hurt me financially, because I don’t count on it financially. But in a way it would make me unhappy, because I’m laughing. “with the app,” he said.
Swartentruber said he posts videos whenever he feels like it. Some days, he posts two videos a day. Other times, you may not post any videos for days. In addition to Amish culture and lifestyle, his videos address, among other things, his transition to “English” life, his dates with his wife, Karwyn, and the vacations they share. together.
He also sees TikTok as a source of data and entertainment. Every time he and his wife go on vacation to a destination, he writes the country and discovers “all kinds of things about what to do in the country. “
“I think it’s a very educational app,” he said.
Swartzentruber finds it hard to believe that TikTok will eventually be banned. He believes this will create a political uproar. The ideal scenario, he said, would be for the Chinese company to promote Tiktok, but he also believes that Meta, the company that owns Facebook, also deserves to be destroyed.
“I like to teach and entertain people, so I hope they don’t ban it,” he said.