Thousands of South Carolinians, like me, owe their livelihoods to TikTok | Opinion

This week, Congress passed - and the President signed - a measure that will cripple small businesses in South Carolina, including my own, Sparks of Joy Co. I am extremely disappointed that my elected officials would vote to deny access to a platform that is critical to the success of entrepreneurs in the Palmetto State.

TikTok is far more than lip-syncing and dancing. It is a community, it is a connection, and it is e-commerce. A ban on TikTok would cut off my biggest source of potential customers, halt my current growth, and prevent me from hiring more people.

I started my business during the pandemic because I wanted to spread more joy through handwritten, pre-stamped cards. Being on TikTok has allowed me to launch a business in my garage and create economic opportunity in the community. Today, 96% of my sales come from TikTok, and I’ve received so many orders through the platform, that I have purchased over 40,000 stamps to keep up with demand and now know my local post office employees by name.

Earlier this year, one of my videos went viral and helped me make $30,000 worth of sales in just 10 days. As a result, I was able to pay off a new machine needed for my business, hired more staff and I am now supporting two other small businesses with the purchase of the raw materials I am ordering to keep up with demand.

This platform is my primary source of traffic, and it’s not for lack of trying on the other sites. People discover us because of the unique algorithm. I am a certified social media strategist and I serve on the advisory board for the National Institute of Social Media. I have also run social media for two colleges in South Carolina and I currently work for a social media app. It would be fair to say that social media is my life.

I know the strategies for each social media platform and how to make them work for me. However, I do not have the same results on the other platforms as I have on TikTok. TikTok allows me to reach people without them having to follow me first.

Not only do I make TikToks about my small business, I connect with people. For example, I do a behind-the-scenes series where I share about myself and the mental health journey that I have gone through. In a world with staggering rates of suicide due to loneliness, TikTok is a unique avenue for helping me find friends and a place where I can discover something new.

One of my best friends lives right here in Columbia, where I live, but I met her on TikTok. I’ve also donated funds through sales to causes that help people in our community, such as the American Heart Association, local school groups and suicide prevention organizations.

The effect of a TikTok ban on small businesses is astronomical. There are thousands of South Carolinians, just like me, who are building their livelihood on TikTok and in turn, creating economic opportunities in our communities. When you think about the 7 million small businesses on TikTok across the country, the extent of that financial impact can’t be ignored.

Instead of focusing on an all-out ban on one specific app, we should be worried that we don’t have enough data protection on the internet as a whole. Let’s address the larger problem instead of banning the app that is helping small businesses like mine thrive in the midst of so many economic hurdles like rising costs and government red tape.

TikTok is a breeding ground for small businesses to have a chance. Taking it away is the wrong decision.