\n<\/p>\n
On the morning of June 29, 2020, India woke up to an absence it didn\u2019t yet know how to name. For 200 million users, TikTok was gone.<\/p>\n
With the ban, livelihoods built on creativity and connection evaporated overnight. Creators scrambled to make sense of the void.<\/p>\n
And now, as the USA flirts with the idea of potentially banning TikTok, it\u2019s impossible not to draw parallels.<\/p>\n
The story of TikTok in India was one of unlikely stardom. It wasn\u2019t the polished, aspirational India of Instagram influencers or Bollywood elites that took to the platform.<\/p>\n
It was the loud, messy, glorious India that rarely got its spotlight. Rural and working-class creators, often overlooked and underestimated, suddenly discovered they could be more than the punchline to a joke.<\/p>\n
They could be the storytellers, the protagonists, the stars.<\/em><\/p>\n With its simple interface and hyper-local content, TikTok democratized fame in a way that no platform had before. Even mid-tier creators could rake in $200 to $1200 a month through brand deals and shoutouts\u2014an income leap that was nothing short of life-changing.<\/p>\n For context, the average daily wage for a laborer in rural India at the time was around \u20b9300 ($4), or roughly $120 per month.<\/p>\n The same questions that haunted India\u2019s TikTok creators then, now loom over their American counterparts: <\/p>\n What happens when you take a cultural phenomenon and make it illegal? What happens to the millions of lives that depend on its ecosystem? And what happens when, for once, the last in line got their shot\u2014only to see the stage dismantled beneath their feet?<\/em><\/p>\n Before we dive deeper into what this could mean, let\u2019s take a closer look at the TikTok phenomenon.<\/p>\n TikTok\u2019s genius is in its accessibility. The app is a lightweight powerhouse that can run smoothly on the cheapest of smartphones\u2014a necessity in countries like India, where most people can\u2019t afford high-end devices.<\/p>\n Its interface is intuitive, designed so even first-time internet users can create, edit, and post a video in minutes.<\/p>\n At the heart of TikTok\u2019s success is its revolutionary algorithm, which made fame achievable for anyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n Unlike platforms like Instagram, where follower counts dictate visibility, TikTok\u2019s For You Page (FYP) served up content purely based on user engagement. This meant that a creator with zero followers could go viral if their content resonated with the audience.<\/p>\n The algorithm tracked how long users watched a video, whether they liked or shared it, and even how quickly they scrolled past. This behavioral data allowed TikTok to fine-tune its recommendations, delivering an endless stream of content perfectly tailored to individual tastes.<\/p>\n In contrast, Instagram rewards creators with polished visuals and a pre-existing network of followers. YouTube demands long-form content and optimized production to push videos into its algorithm. TikTok stripped away these barriers. With just creativity and a smartphone, anyone could reach millions.<\/p>\n In India<\/strong>, TikTok became the digital village square. Its short-form videos, often in regional languages, mirrored the everyday lives of its creators.<\/p>\n Yuvraj Singh, known to his millions of fans as Baba Jackson<\/em>, was one of those stars. Yuvraj grew up\u00a0 as the son of a construction worker who worked long, grueling hours to provide for the family. They lived in a modest house with uneven floors, where Yuvraj practiced his moonwalks, mimicking videos he watched online.<\/p>\n But TikTok saw what no one else had\u2014his talent, raw and electrifying\u2014and sent it to screens across the globe. Celebrities noticed. Television producers called. And suddenly, the boy who danced for his neighbors was performing for a nation.<\/p>\n TikTok didn\u2019t discriminate. Jaydeep Gohil, a swimmer from Gujarat, discovered that his underwater dancing\u2014an unusual combination of grace and athleticism\u2014could captivate an audience. Known as Hydroman<\/em>, he used the app to showcase his aquatic artistry, turning an invisible niche into a celebrated talent.<\/p>\n Then there was Moni Kundu, a homemaker who posted comedic sketches with her son. She didn\u2019t need a studio or professional lighting; the humor in her videos was enough. TikTok became her platform to tell stories and earn money, a small but transformative addition to her household income.<\/p>\n In the United States too<\/strong>, TikTok has played a similar role.<\/p>\n Taylor Cassidy, a teenager from Missouri, used TikTok to teach \u201cFast Black History\u201d in one-minute bursts. She shared stories of Black figures that textbooks overlooked. Lance Tsosie, a Navajo creator known as @modern_warrior__, turned the app into a platform for his people. He shared Indigenous traditions and addressed\u00a0 systemic injustices.<\/p>\n In both countries, TikTok has not been about who you are but about what you can create, what you can say. For millions, TikTok has been an opportunity \u2013 one that rewrote the rules of visibility and fame.<\/p>\n When TikTok was banned in India on June 29, 2020, it was as if an entire ecosystem had been shut off with the flick of a switch. Overnight, 200 million users and countless creators lost access to the platform.<\/p>\n Many tried migrating to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, but these platforms demanded something TikTok never did: polish, resources, and a pre-existing audience.<\/p>\n \u201cTikTok made me strong and confident. I started wearing Western clothes, dancing on the streets \u2026 I am disappointed,<\/strong>\u201d Geetha Sridhar, an Indian TikTok creator, told AlJazeera<\/a>. The 54-year-old homemaker never entered her kitchen without her smartphone.<\/p>\n On TikTok, she posted dozens of short videos daily, mostly showcasing her traditional recipes. With one million followers, Geetha earned an average of 50,000 rupees (nearly $662) a month from the social media platform.<\/p>\n Comedians, dancers, and influencers who had once built audiences of millions found themselves back in local jobs or small businesses, unable to replicate their success elsewhere. Without TikTok\u2019s unique ability to spotlight creators regardless of their starting point, many saw their earnings dwindle to nothing.<\/p>\n The economic fallout rippled across. Mid-tier influencers who had been earning $200 to $1200 per month suddenly lost their primary source of income. A study by RedSeer Consulting estimated that India\u2019s creator economy shrank by over 15% following the ban, with no clear roadmap for recovery.<\/p>\n After TikTok vanished from India, a scramble began\u2014not just for creators trying to save their livelihoods, but for platforms racing to replace the app that had rewritten the rules of fame.<\/p>\n Moj,<\/a> Chingari<\/a>, Josh<\/a>\u2014names that meant little before June 2020\u2014emerged almost overnight as the country\u2019s homegrown answers to the TikTok-shaped hole. They promised familiarity. They promised opportunity. And for a moment, it seemed like they might succeed.<\/p>\n Moj, developed by ShareChat, quickly became the poster child for India\u2019s TikTok alternatives, boasting over 50 million downloads within weeks.<\/p>\n Chingari branded itself as a \u201clocal alternative,\u201d catering to regional audiences with live streaming and vernacular language options.<\/p>\n Josh, backed by the media giant Dailyhunt, leveraged partnerships with top influencers to build momentum. But behind the fanfare and download numbers, cracks began to show.<\/p>\n 1. Algorithmic Weakness<\/strong> \u2013 TikTok\u2019s algorithm was a masterpiece, curating personalized content that felt intuitive and engaging. Moj and Chingari\u2019s recommendations often felt generic, leading to lower user engagement and creator frustration.<\/p>\n 2. Audience Fragmentation<\/strong> \u2013 TikTok unified creators and audiences across India, breaking barriers between regions and languages. Local alternatives split users across multiple apps, diluting creator reach and content visibility.<\/p>\n 3. Global Disadvantage<\/strong>: TikTok offered Indian creators a global stage, connecting them with audiences and opportunities worldwide. Moj and Chingari remained focused on domestic markets, limiting creators\u2019 growth and international exposure.<\/p>\n Many creators abandoned local alternatives for Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, drawn by:<\/p>\nHow TikTok managed to democratize fame<\/h2>\n
TikTok vs other algorithms<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The stories TikTok made possible<\/h2>\n
So, what happened to India\u2019s creators after TikTok?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
But, what about other social media platforms?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Why these platforms fell short<\/h3>\n
The shift to international platforms<\/h3>\n