What you need to know about NYC’s TikTok ban

Government workers say goodbye to TikTok

NYC has initiated a TikTok ban on city-owned devices as of August 16, 2023. Some are grieving the loss of fan favorite accounts like @nycsanitation which highlights some amazing workers, fun memes, and viral content. Although you can find news on other sites, it does make you wonder if this ban is a push in the right or wrong direction. (FYI- This is only for city-owned and government-owned devices and networks.)

Seattle is speaking out against the ban and states that they are not planning on implementing this same strategy. For the Emerald City, TikTok is a great way to leverage communication and get information out to residents. Additionally, it is a great way to tap into the younger audience with content that is creative and controversial.

So does this mean more bans to come? Maybe on government-issued devices. But like we’ve said before, there are a lot of things banned from city-wide devices, including Candy Crush and your Gmail. Those bans just don’t get the press that TikTok does.

While it’s been all quiet on the Capital front for months, we may see more cities taking this same approach. It’s always been our belief that the power is not in the platform but in the content, so maximize your short-form on other platforms like YouTube shorts, Instagram reels and Facebook.

Would love to know your thoughts on this too!

🎥 What's Trending

Kim Possible is back in action! With over 51 million views we are left wondering… Will he wake up? And what kind of girl’s night is she training for? The creator does a great job creating these curiosity gaps and using attention-grabbing visuals, like her jump roping in heels, to reel us in. It’s also important to note that this video (with over 300,000 saves) just uses original audio.

Your takeaway: We get asked all the time how important trending audio is to a video. What we consistently see over and over and over again is that the top-performing videos ONLY have original audio. If you are following a trend, you are by definition a follower. Dare to stand out.