55% Of Business Owners Say TikTok Should Be Banned
DATA INSIGHTS | TIKTOK POLL | BOSTON, MA | May 3, 2024: Despite fears that banning TikTok could result in some small businesses losing income, Alignable’s TikTok Poll Report shows that 55% of small business owners believe TikTok should, indeed, be banned.
Fueled by 7,802 responses from small business owners -- collected from 4/28/24 to 5/1/24 -- Alignable's TikTok Poll exposed a variety of concerns from those favoring a ban. They assert that TikTok:
- Poses a major risk to national security and U.S. citizens’ private data, given its connection to the Chinese government. It’s a “Trojan Horse” that shouldn’t be trusted.
- Can encourage dangerous behavior, spreading rumors and misinformation.
- Influences societal norms, and could affect elections, protests, and other politically-motivated events on U.S. soil, largely because of China’s opposition to democracy and freedom.
- Allows China to spy on democratic countries.
- Contributes to the destruction of relationships and mental health, especially among younger people, as it delivers disturbing content, and drains users’ mental energy.
- Has a lack of transparency regarding its data collection practices.
- Should definitely be regulated by the U.S. government, if it isn’t banned entirely, to protect the U.S. and its citizens from data breaches, foreign infiltration, and espionage.
Here are a few quotes – out of hundreds – that reinforce the strong emotions behind the views of those favoring a ban.
“Our national security should not be compromised for a type of social media we can do without.”
“It's not about censorship. TikTok should be banned, because it’s being used to poison our culture – our youth. (And if you think I am exaggerating, look into it.) The poisoning of our youth is the No. 1 reason. A close second is the vast amount of information harvesting China is doing — not the least of which is the harvesting of intellectual property.”
“The ban is ONLY coming to TikTok concerning its partnership with the Chinese government. Most U.S. industries have long-running regulations that should have already been applied to TikTok. TV and radio stations are required to adhere to transmission and moral regulations. With the advancement of AI, it is imperative to have common sense regulations about what kind of influence and data access the Chinese government has with U.S. citizens.”
“TikTok should be banned unless China cuts its ties to it. Many people & companies are using TikTok to market their products online, and that certainly will hurt them. But how do you weigh the costs of lost security to our country and its citizens versus the monetary benefits of TikTok to online marketers?”
“In answering yes, I am not adverse to the app. But I am very wary of the algorithm, its data-gathering potential, and the control exerted by China, a vehement American adversary. Having spent years in China on business, I am very aware of the Chinese government's control and desire to gather intelligence and affect public opinion both inside and outside their country! That is why these social media apps are outlawed in China. Beware!”
“Yes, ban Tiktok as it is. Eliminate China’s involvement. Then maybe invent an American version of TikTok.”
As that last quote referenced, whether or not someone was in favor or against a ban, there was some common ground forged in the poll responses.
Several small business owners suggested that a new alternative to TikTok should be created by an American company – with no ties to China, or other global adversaries.
Beyond that suggestion, let’s look at more of the views expressed by the 45% of SMB owners against a TikTok ban. This significant percentage of small business owners believes that banning TikTok will:
- Set a dangerous precedent for censorship
- Curtail free expression and creativity, neither of which should be limited by the U.S. government. In fact, the ban violates the First Amendment.
- Hurt the success of small business owners who have grown their revenues exponentially on the platform. They also fear layoffs will occur at these companies, as a result
- Reduce strong educational content
- Restrict access to information and entertainment
- Distract the U.S. government from more pressing issues
Here are a few quotes that bring these points to life.
“TikTok has made my handmade bath and body product business thrive. I have orders everyday and I’m scared to lose those sales.”
“I do not believe they should ban TikTok. I feel other social media outlets are more intrusive than TikTok. Small businesses have benefited from the reach TikTok has given them. I also think the government has bigger things they could focus on rather than what I watch on my phone.”
“Too many small businesses have been positively impacted by the reach of TikTok for me to want to see a ban. I agree that some sort of regulations should be put in place, but a complete ban is not something I would support.”
“Free speech is very important, and TikTok is a sought-after media platform that should not be banned by the government.”
“Banning TikTok is considered a form of censorship, and the American people should not be censored. Nor should what is happening in our country be a secret to us. We pay their bills. They don’t pay ours.”
“TikTok has had such a positive influence. My business gets 10 times more visibility on TikTok than any other platform. If you're going to ban TikTok, then why not ban all social media? They all have inherent dangers.”
“They say that TikTok is a gateway for China to obtain sensitive information, but that can happen with any app or website we use. The United States government needs to start worrying about homelessness, food insecurities, and struggling Americans first.”
If you’d like more details from Alignable’s TikTok Poll Report, or you’d like to arrange an interview with our researchers or select small business owners, please contact me at chuck@alignable.com.
To review past poll results, go here or to the Alignable Research Center.
About The Alignable Research Center
Alignable is the largest online business networking platform for small businesses in the U.S. and Canada with 9 million+ members.
We established our research center in early March 2020, to track and report the impact of the Coronavirus on small businesses, and to monitor recovery efforts, informing the media, policymakers, and our members.
About Alignable
Alignable.com is the network where business owners come together. Whether you're connecting locally, meeting peers in your industry, or finding a catalyst who will introduce you to their network, Alignable is where businesses connect and change their business trajectory.
Comments (1-10)
Banning tik tok, will show that you will be missing a lot of news in the world and small business depend also from them to show there product, for example the bad weather that they did have with Emirate I did see it on tik tok only, I did did not see on facebook or on American social media
If you ban tik tok what’s next?
Linkedin Facebook x/Twitter alignableYouTube and all mainstream media
?
Just asking for a friend
55% of business owners are stupid. all my clients in 14 different countries, 124 in the USA (out of 216), use TikTok as a form of led gen and revenue for their companies. The reason they are saying "ban TikTok" is that they are the same people who don't know or understand how to use the platform or even multi-social platforms. There is a company on TikTok that sells multi-million dollar airplanes, and they have stated that TikTok has helped them with brand awareness AND sales. If this company can do that, then these small businesses are leaving a lot of money on the table because they don't want to use TikTok or make content; they just want to keep blindly posting to Facebook and hoping for the best. The average content consumer on TikTok makes an annual income of 120k; you are a stupid business owner not to take advantage of it.
Thank you Chuck good points from both sides. As a marketing professional, I have concerns with both sides of this equation and could argue either side.
Michael
Tik Tok is not what you all are saying. Set up an account and watch all the wonderful creators there are out there. The servers for Tik Tok are in Texas not China. Geez. Educate yourselves on this. An American woman is running all the security for Tik Tok here.
Like abortion , if you are against it, don't use it.
To the 55% in favor of banning TikTok, did you forget that the personal data belonging to 87 million Facebook users was collected without their consent by British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, predominantly to be used for political advertising??
My smart vaccum was recording conversations in my house and sending them to a server in China. My TV sends video of my living room to a server in China. Multiple apps on my phone have sent contacts and my personal phone pictures to a server in China.
If this is about the Chinese collecting our data without our permission, why is it only a single app being targeted?
Banning TikTok would not benefit sellers whose majority of products are sold in the US and made in China.
TikTok has a diverse audience in which you can find your niche, just like on other social media platforms.
We hear news on Tik Tok days before (if ever) it's on national news networks. It's helped our small business much more than Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube, all of which are, in many covert ways, controlled by our government. There are 27 more votes here to not ban Tik Tok!