Towards a TikTok ban in the US: the end of the carefree era for the Creator economy?

(Translation of a tribune released in Strategies on Jan 30, 2025)

Imagine for a moment that your main working tool, your main source of revenue, the audience you monetize and all your strategic partnerships disappeared overnight… This is precisely what happened to millions of American content creators when TikTok suddenly disappeared on 19 January 2025. Seen from Europe, this episode on the other side of the Atlantic could be no more than a digital news item. On the contrary, it should send shockwaves through France and Europe. It reflects a reality that many had previously refused to accept: building an audience on digital platforms that we do not control means building an economic empire on sand.

The Creator economy, which is worth 27.5 billion dollars in Europe, currently relies mainly on American and Chinese platforms. By 2024, influencer marketing in France will represent a turnover of 6.8 billion dollars, revolving around 170,000 content creators, as well as tens of thousands of brands and agencies, involving 1.5 million direct and indirect jobs. But social networks are fragile and unstable ecosystems, subject to changes in algorithms that are often unpredictable, to unilateral decisions by their managers, to the effects of fashion and the preferences of their users and, today more than ever, to geopolitical dynamics that go far beyond the platforms themselves.

Our dependence on foreign platforms, our inability to control their flows and to hold our own data, are all threats to content creators and brands. The TikTok psychodrama in the United States should mark the end of complacency for the Creator economy: it is the sudden and brutal intrusion of politics into the hitherto untouched world of creativity, digital entertainment and influencer marketing.

For content creators and brands, the diversification of social networks is no longer motivated solely by commercial and marketing opportunities, but is now a strategic necessity. And diversification alone is no longer enough. European decision-makers must seize this opportunity to further strengthen the regulation of the major platforms and guarantee content creators lasting digital independence.

On the one hand, it is essential to encourage the emergence of European platforms capable of meeting the needs of creators while respecting our cultural and economic specificities. This requires massive investment and a strong political vision. On the other hand, the European Union, with its common market of 500 million inhabitants, must impose greater pressure on platforms to guarantee fair and transparent conditions between players. Initiatives such as the UMICC (Union des Métiers de l’Influence et des Créateurs de Contenu) in France, and the EIMA (European Influencer Marketing Alliance) are playing a key role in structuring this nascent ecosystem, making it more professional and ensuring that it speaks with a single voice.

It’s up to us to turn this crisis into an opportunity. Protecting the Creator economy is not just about ensuring its economic viability, it’s also about defending our digital sovereignty and reasserting Europe’s cultural influence in the face of Chinese and American digital hegemonies. It’s not a question of putting the brakes on innovation, but of securing it and anchoring it on solid foundations, adapted to our values and ambitions. We have a responsibility to build a digital ecosystem that is resilient, responsible and, above all, independent.