With the prospect of TikTok disappearing in the United States, the app’s creators spent the week offering a heartfelt farewell to fans.

“Never in a million years did I think anyone would care about what I had to say,” said humor video creator Kimberly Rhoades. Tell her she has 3 million followers Thursday. “It would be a very, very nice journey if this app went away.”

One day later, the Supreme Court The decision was upheld with a 9-0 verdict. The law requires Chinese parent company ByteDance to force the sale of TikTok or ban the app in the United States. The short-form video app has gone mainstream and changed the way Americans use social media while stuck indoors during the pandemic. It will be shut down on Sunday, meaning it will likely disappear from the web and be removed from the app stores it operates apple and Google.

Congress passed the law and the President Joe Bidenciting national security concerns raised by TikTok’s data collection practices and ties to China.

exist Follow-up video On Friday, Rhodes sang about 30 seconds of “Taps,” a military song often played at funerals. “It’s an honor to make you laugh,” she concluded.

The fate of TikTok America is now in the hands of the president-elect Donald TrumpHe initially supported a ban on TikTok during his first administration but has since changed his stance on the matter. december, trump ask Supreme Court Suspension of the law and give his government “the opportunity to seek a political solution to the contentious issues in this case.”

Trump wrote in a post on his social media app Truth Social on Friday, “I will make a decision regarding TikTok in the near future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!” TikTok CEO official Shou Chew is one of several technology leaders expected to attend Trump’s inauguration in Washington, D.C., on Monday. In a short video, Chew thanked Trump for his “commitment to working with us to find solutions that will keep TikTok available in the United States.”

Whether Trump ultimately finds a way to keep the app alive among U.S. consumers, many TikTok creators have been preparing for the end, telling their fans to find them on other social platforms, like Google’s YouTube and Yuan Facebook and Instagram, before CNBC report. red notea Chinese social media app and TikTok lookalike rises to top spot Search results on Apple’s App Store on Monday showed TikTok’s millions of users looking for alternatives.

this Creator migration The move appears to be accelerating as the ban deadline approaches. Influencers like Megan Cruz use their farewell videos as an opportunity to promote TikTok properties.

“People are enthusiastic about things like BookTok and FilmTok, and the idea of ​​participating in culture on TikTok because you don’t have to be a great creator,” Cruz said. in video Released earlier this week. “People are motivated to join the conversation because anyone has the potential to be a leader in the conversation and bring forward ideas that resonate with millions of people.”

TikTok’s popularity can be traced back to 2017, when ByteDance spent about $1 billion to acquire a startup called Musical.ly. ByteDance merged Musical.ly and TikTok the following year.

Around that time, TikTok began to gain ground in the United States, primarily as an app used by young people to stream short dance and lip-syncing videos. TikTok’s big breakthrough came during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns, when consumers were looking for ways to pass the time and connect with others online.

The app was so successful that internet giants Meta and Google launched copycat services. Meta launched Reels for U.S. Instagram users in August 2020 and later added it to Facebook. Google launched YouTube Shorts in the United States in March 2021.

Despite competition, TikTok continues to grow.

TikTok has about 115 million monthly active users in the United States, compared with YouTube’s 258 million, Facebook’s 253 million and Instagram’s 131 million, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

Although TikTok lags behind rivals in total users, the Chinese app has become a hub for creators, defined as users with more than 1,000 followers. According to the influencer marketing platform HypeAuditor, TikTok has nearly 8.5 million users in the United States who fit this category, compared with about 5.2 million on Instagram and 1.1 million on YouTube.

Businessman Frank McCourt’s internet advocacy group free plan On January 9, the company announced that it had submitted a proposal to acquire TikTok from ByteDance for undisclosed terms. “I believe we are the only bidder that meets the necessary criteria to separate the technology from the Chinese algorithm,” McCourt told CNBC on Friday.

Based on the valuation, if ByteDance decides to sell, it could cost potential buyers $40 billion to $50 billion estimate Angelo Zino, Senior Vice President of CFRA Research, introduced TikTok’s business in the United States.

Some creators who expected to be shut down let their fans know where to find them. Others encouraged users not to follow them on Meta’s services or to stay off social media entirely.

Jack Ryan said: “I’ve heard a lot of people say that once TikTok goes away, you cut social media out of your life and I encourage that – it might be really healthy for you “A creator with 2 million TikTok fans, in video Thursday thanked fans for their support.

“I do have an Instagram. I do have quite a following there, but don’t follow me on Instagram,” Ryan added. “Stop it. It’s brain rot. It’s disgusting.”

Jonas Gindin, who has more than 400,000 Tiktok followers, said in a video that a year and a half ago, he was working as a waiter in Los Angeles while trying to become an actor. His luck was not so good.

Gindin said that after finding a fan base on TikTok, he has successfully made content on the app full-time.

“If we get it right, it’s a journey, man,” Gindin said. “Whenever I see someone comment on something positive, it means the world, man.”

watch: NSA’s Gerstell says it’s up to Apple and Google whether they want to keep TikTok in their app stores