By skyforbes 
The US wants to clone TikTok for themselves. But success is not guaranteed, on the contrary. And failure might be a good thing.
You can safely say that everyone knows TikTok. It has a massive user base and a high engagement, thanks to TikTok’s magic algorithm. But the fact that it is Chinese has the US worried. And by extension has the west worried.
At one point TikTok was actually turned off in the US, as a consequence of an edict by the previous US administration to sell or be banned.
Trump quickly reversed the TikTok ban, but it has now become apparent that a consortium of US companies is proposing a deal with TikTok’s owner, Bytedance, allowing them to run an American version of TikTok. The TikTok branded app would save all user data within the US, with a tweaked version TikTok’s magic algorithm.
Some numbers: 1.4 billion people use TikTok on a staggering 90 minutes daily average. TikTok’s Chinese twin Douyin has 700 million users, dominates the Chinese e-commerce market. The USA has far less users at about 130 million, with revenue mostly from ads.
So, a disaster the split-up would not be. Not for the TikTok ownership. For the rest of us, it might be a blessing in disguise.
TikTok has not been waiting around for Trump to make up his mind. It’s making inroads in the EU which could more than compensate for the loss of the US. After the a highly successful launch of the TikTok Shop in the UK, plans are to launch in France, Germany and Italy. Close integrations make for quick purchases directly from the video content. Creators and sellers work together to promote their products, where each party is rewarded for their efforts. Success could be very profitable for businesses throughout the EU, especially those in beauty, fashion and lifestyle.
For the split-up to succeed though, many hurdles must be overcome.
Legal hurdles, not the least of which is the possibility that the Chinese government may veto a deal. TikTok in the USA could then be permanently banned, that would hurt, but not too much.
Technical hurdles, such as the enormity of the data involved. And very important, TikTok’s enormous global data feeds its magic “for you” page. This is at the core of its success, and will be very difficult to replicate with only a small set of users.
All of which are Americans. So losing fascinating content from all over the world. Ad revenue might fall dramatically, investors might pull out.
The experiment might very well fail.
Which might also be a blessing in disguise. Because the US is not the only country to worry about Chinese influence. If the US experiment succeeds, Australia and New Zealand might want their own versions too, as well as the EU.
Thing is, TikTok is the only serious contender against full US social media hegemony. Its global reach makes for intriguing content from all over the world. I can’t help but think it would be a pity if it is split up into myriad little pieces all only interested in themselves.