- Companies are humorously mourning the loss of TikTok, which is set to go dark on Sunday.
- The Supreme Court upheld a law that could ban the app on Friday.
- TikTok said it will go dark unless Biden intervenes.
In typical fashion for those chronically online, TikTok users are coping with a looming ban through memes and humor, posting their final goodbyes. Companies have joined in the fun.
The Supreme Court dashed any hope it would save TikTok in the United States when, on Friday, it upheld a law that forces the app’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to either sell its US operations or face the removal of TikTok from American app stores.
As a result, TikTok said it would “go dark” on Sunday for its 170 million American users. It will still be accessible to its users in other countries.
The social media app has become one of the most popular in the United States and an essential marketing tool for businesses, small and large. So, its demise could have a real effect on some businesses’ bottom line. In the spirit of the app, however, companies are taking the change in humorous stride.
Sony Pictures posted a clip from “The Social Network” in which Eduardo Saverin (played by Andrew Garfield) interrupts Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) as he’s “wired in.” Saverin smashes Zuckerberg’s computer in a fit of rage after learning he had been betrayed. The text above the video, posted on Thursday, read: “all of us this week.”
Fandango added to the chaotic vibes with a clip from “Titanic,” in which the string quartet plays on as the ship sinks and passengers race to lifeboats in a panic.
Max, formerly HBO Max, posted a clip from “Game of Thrones” in which Sean Bean’s Ned Stark awaits his execution. Above the video, the text reads: “everyone awaiting tiktok’s fate on the 19th.”
Sony posted another clip on Friday night, this time from “Spider-Man,” in which Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn screams after finding out he is being asked to resign.
“I started this company,” Dafoe says. “You know how much I sacrificed?”
Sony compared Dafoe’s grief to that of social media managers frustrated by the looming ban.
Peacock, using a clip from “The Office,” joked that Creed Bratton is already on RedNote, the Chinese app that Americans are flocking to as a replacement for TikTok.
It wasn’t just entertainment companies that joined in the fun.
Duolingo and PopTarts both posted farewell videos using the Green Day song, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).”
Windows posted a similar tribute, along with the caption: “We’re not really going anywhere tho. Catch us on Reels and Shorts :P”
Companies have been anticipating a potential ban for months, giving their marketing departments time to put together plans to shift their efforts to other platforms like Facebook, Instagram reels, and YouTube shorts.
In a statement on Friday following the Supreme Court’s decision, TikTok said it would be forced to go dark unless the Biden administration took action. The administration, however, said it would leave it to incoming President-elect Donald Trump to enforce the ban.
Trump, who is set to be sworn in on Monday, told NBC News’ Kristen Welker on Saturday that he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day extension to find a non-Chinese buyer but has not yet made a final decision.
“I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate,” the president-elect said.
