Colorado TikTok influencer fears potential ban could impact her income
TikTok, one of the largest and most popular social media platforms, could soon be banned in the U.S., which could impact some social media influencers in Colorado.
At the center of the debate is whether or not the China-based company poses a national security threat.
A bill to ban the platform has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives.
This could mean that Americans could lose access to TikTok within six months if the bill, which seeks to force its China-based parent company ByteDance to sell its stake, is signed into law. It all depends, however, on whether the legislation can overcome a number of hurdles in Congress and survive legal scrutiny.
TikTok says that right now, around 150 million Americans use its platform, which is almost half of the country's population.
For one Colorado family, the Ortiz sisters, they've made a name for themselves on the app with over 1 million combined followers on TikTok.
Wendy Ortiz recently reached one million followers on the app and says that's opening doors for her with potential brands and partnerships. It has also become her main source of income, but with the potential ban looming, she fears this can stall her growth on social media.
Every day, Wendy Ortiz presses record and shares moments with her toddler Valentina with the world.
"I don't want people to see the good parts of being a mom and think, 'oh, I can do it too,' because it is a very difficult thing to go through," she said. "You struggle a lot and people don't really see it on social media."
Though sharing her life can also be difficult, she says at least she is living her dream.
"Being an influencer has always been my dream since I was 12 years old, so having a million followers is just my 'I made it' moment."
It was all made possible due to sharing her life and interacting with her fans through TikTok Live.
"I think people gravitated towards me because I'm a mom and I show a lot of the struggles of being a mom," said Ortiz.
Whether it is being vulnerable with her audience about her postpartum tummy, showing how she co-parents and even breaking down in tears about her doubts.
"And that's why I'm crying because I already think I'm a bad mom," she said during a TikTok Live.
Wendy has let her followers in on the most intimate moments of her life, moments that many would choose to keep private.
"It's very difficult. Sometimes I do read the comments and I know people are like 'don't read the comments,' but it is difficult. You want to see what people are saying about you," said Ortiz.
Showing the good, the bad and the ugly is how the 20-year-old TikTok sensation has been able to not only support herself financially but also her daughter.
"I feel like if TikTok does get banned, I'm going to have to switch off to another platform and that would be harder for me because most of my followers are on TikTok," she said.
She loves being a stay-at-home mom and is thankful to her followers for allowing her to do so. But if Congress bans the app, it could change her life.
The latest industry data shows that TikTok influencers earn an average salary of $121,765; revenue that could soon be threatened.
"I think most people are taking it as a joke because (a proposed TikTok ban) has happened before, but it is scary to think about losing your source of income," said Ortiz.
Now Wendy Ortiz and her sister Evelyn Ortiz started their social media journeys together on YouTube, but became well known on TikTok, gaining a bigger following. The sisters plan to continue their social media careers through other platforms, just in case TikTok does get banned.
