The TikTok Drama Continues, And Our Digital Trends In Politics
TikTok is back in the US, but the ban is still looming as millions of Americans hope Trump will save TikTok. Others are fed up with the platform.
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“Reputation and Trust are both opportunities and challenges in 2025”
Will TikTok live?
It’s not that simple… And it seems to be an uphill battle from here on.
Yes, before his inauguration (today), US Donald Trump has pledged to save TikTok. He did so many times.
And after TikTok went dark for a few hours Friday into Saturday, and later came back up, Trump said last night: “As of today, TikTok is back. […] I live TikTok.”
Following a decision by the US Supreme Court to uphold the TikTok ban, US President Joe Biden commented: “The decision is going to be made by the next president anyway.”
Biden did not formally invoke a 90-day delay in the deadline as allowed by the law, TikTok decided to shut down the app in the US, and the app was taken down from the Apple and Google app stores.
When hell broke loose…
First, the app went dark on Saturday night. Users opening it in the United States, found alerts explaining why the app was not available. Three different versions, depending on when users tried to open the app, including one pop up thanking Trump for “working with us.”
Then, mid-day Sunday, the TikTok started to come back and the company released a statement: “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive. […] We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
TikTok is currently up and running, but some users are now fed up with how TikTok has embraced Trump — some even vowing to delete it from their phones.
Will Trump save TikTok?
Unclear — and unclear how. Here is what we know:
According to reports, the President — whether Biden before or Trump now — have the option to sign an executive order extending the deadline for the ban another 90 days.
Biden, as mentioned before, did not act on that. Trump, however, signaled he will — or else, he will find another way.
However, according to experts, this path has no legal basis. According to the law that bans TikTok and Bytedance products — passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden — an executive order for the extension of the deadline could only take effect if Bytedance or TikTok were currently in talks to divest and sell their US operations.
As of today, there seems to be no negotiations between Bytedance and potential suiters.
Last week, YouTube star MrBeast, whose real name is James "Jimmy" Donaldson, stated: “Okay fine, I'll buy Tik Tok so it doesn't get banned.” He later added: “Unironically, I’ve had so many billionaires reach out to me since I tweeted this, let’s see if we can pull this off.”
According to reports, Chinese officials are evaluating a potential option that involves Elon Musk acquiring the US operations of TikTok. However, TikTok denied.
Canadian investor and Shark Tank host Kevin O’Leary and Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt’s Project Liberty have an offer on the table and said their bid is fully funded and would comply with the US Supreme Court decision.
Other rumored offered have emerged from Microsoft, video-sharing platform Rumble, former CEO of video game publisher Activision Bobby Kotick, and Walmart CEO Doug McMillon.
Analysts have put a range of prices on TikTok’s US operations, from $20 billion to more than $100 billion. ByteDance's overall valuation is estimated to be around $300 billion.
If Trump is able to find another legal pathway, or if negotiations talks start, then an extension will be granted and the app will come back in the US.
However, Trump said yesterday: “I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law's prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”
Trump also stated: “I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say up. Without U.S. approval, there is no Tik Tok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars - maybe trillions.”
Whether of not Trump’s executive order is challenged or takes effect, it is not clear how many in Congress, at the moment, are amenable to pass another overarching bill — as fast as possible — to reinstate TikTok or to extend any current ban.
“I agree with Donald Trump. Give it more time,” said Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, who has recently co-sponsored a bill with Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and with Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17) to delay the ban by an additional 270 days.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said for the sake of TikTok’s 170 million users: “I will work with the Trump administration and with both parties to keep TikTok alive while protecting our national security.”
Not all Republicans are on board either. For example, Senator Katie Britt, a Republican from Alabama, said she was in favor of the TikTok ban as recently as last week at a POLITICO Playbook event.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas said last week on the floor of the Senate: “Let me be clear: there will be no extensions, no concessions, and no compromises for TikTok.”
In the meantime, are any national security concerns still valid?
How many parts is our politics and diplomacy series?
Enough about TikTok… And back to our series digital trends for politics and diplomacy.
Today, we’re happy to share some insights from two inspiring and creative communicators,
, creative and strategy director at Bump, and Anthony Shop, co-founder of Social Driver and chair of the National Digital Roundtable.This could possibly be our last installment. But we want to leave it open to additional parts and interviews to explore what 2025 will look like.
We cannot thank the many friends and colleagues who have participated so far in this series enough!
Don’t miss Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 and Part 4 and Part 5 and Part 6 and Part 7 and Part 8, with insights from Lia Haberman, author of ICYMI by Lia Haberman, Stefano De Cupis at the World Bank, Francesco Oggiano, author of Digital Journalism, Ryan Heath at Robin AI,
, , Ashwath Narayanan at Social Currant, Aleksandra Kuzmanovic at the World Health Organization (WHO), Bhumika Regmi at Malala Fund, Aubrey Ottenstein at Hilltop, Valentina Tonutti of Fuori dal PED, Dan Morrison, Patricia Gruver-Barr, Dante Licona, Erika Marzano at DW, Marco Ricorda, Stéphanie Fillion, Roxy Ndebumadu, Gerry Diaz Bartolome, Anja Gabriel, and Alessandro Tommasi.Brett Kobie: Focus on “proximity to business as usual, perceived return relative to time investment, perceived cost of absence”
* Brett Kobie is Strategy & Creative Director at Bump, a creative consultancy specialized in policy communications with offices in Belgium and the Netherlands. He was previously Senior Vice-President & Director for Integrated Communications at FleishmanHillard EU, Special Advisor for Communications at the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCOM), and Interim Head of Communications for Europe at the Environmental Defense Fund. With more than 15 years of experience in Brussels and New York, Brett works hand in hand with experienced public affairs practitioners, communicators and marketers to co-create ambitious ideas and bring them to life.
1) What role does creativity play in policy and advocacy communications strategies? Do you see a change or new trends for 2025?
I work mostly for private sector clients in the EU bubble — it’s an environment where access to EU policymakers is pretty much a level playing field. If access isn’t the problem to solve for — then impact is. And this is where creativity comes in — figuring out how to show up consistently in a way that your audience pays attention to. It’s about understanding the constraints you find yourself in and innovating inside of them.
2) Do you think creativity is seen differently in the US and in Europe? Does it have a different role in Washington as opposed to Brussels?
For sure. “Winning” at policy in Washington is well known to be a multi-layered game that rarely happens without a strong communications component. It’s a multidisciplinary approach that naturally draws on a range of expertise from the legal, regulatory, and communications domains.
Brussels however “grew up” as a technical animal. Policy subject matter experts still dominate here — with only a top tier of them willing to embrace other disciplines to increase their changes of success.
3) What are your predictions for digital and social media next year and beyond?
Digital and social media hypes are exciting, but instead of digging into predictions about channels or trends, I always encourage our clients to apply these three objective tests to predict if/when a specific niche stakeholder group (or their own org even) is likely to adopt a new channel in earnest:
Proximity to business as usual — An org or individual has already settled into a pattern of external communication with others. It's what naturally feels right to them and is scratching whatever itch they have on their hierarchy of needs. If the new thing fits this pattern, adoption is more likely.
Perceived return relative to time investment — Anyone whose job it has been to "train" people on social media will know that the biggest block is perceived time investment. The less time one must spend relative to the return they see, the more likely adoption is.
Perceived cost of absence — “Doesn’t it look weird if we're not there?” In the EU bubble, I would posit that this has always been the single most important driver of channel adoption.
Anthony Shop: “Reputation and Trust are both opportunities and challenges in 2025”
* Anthony Shop believes in the power of people-centered branding and marketing to create a bright future. He chairs the National Digital Roundtable, the premier convener of digital innovators, leaders and policy shapers, and hosts the Chief Influencer podcast in partnership with The George Washington University and The Communications Board. Anthony is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Social Driver, a digital services firm that helps companies and non-profits establish winning strategies with social media, websites, creative, and advertising.
🚨 REMINDER: The National Digital Roundtable is hosting a live event with TikTok creator and Substack’s new Creative Advisor .
1) What are the main opportunities and main challenges in the digital space in 2025?
Reputation and Trust are both opportunities and challenges in 2025, aren't they? Brands that have established trusted reputations, and those that have taken actions that value short-term wins over long-term trust, will struggle to connect with their audiences - whether they are consumers, policymakers or opinion leaders.
A lot of organizations struggle with this when it comes to engaging creators. They've finally embraced that this is an effective way to reach many audiences, especially younger ones. But then, they go ahead and undercut themselves by being overly transactional. Often the transactional Influencers will endorse one company today and their direct competitor next week, undermining the message. A snapshot of metrics doesn't tell the whole story: did those followers and likes change hearts and minds? However, building a trusted relationship with creators, who are real people, can lead to a win-win scenario that creates value for everyone involved. But it all starts with trust.
Specifically when it comes to platforms, I have the opportunity in my role as Chief Strategy Officer of Social Driver to work with CEOs and their heads of marketing and communications as they chart their strategies to connect with people and advance their business goals. I can't think of an organization that isn't reassessing their channel strategy right now. When we started Social Driver, we helped major brands become the first in their industry to join Twitter. We did this for Honda, for example. Now, similar organizations are asking: should we leave X, join BlueSky, or what? And if we do, do we just repurpose the same content across platforms? Even the White House has grappled with these challenges - we heard at a recent National Digital Roundtable gathering hosted by the Office of Digital Services in the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing (I'm sorry, but I just had to drop that - especially since you were in that room too, Andreas) that they joined Reddit, and it was an effective tool to connect with their people and dispel misinformation about the government.
2) Talk a bit more about the idea behind your podcast "Chief Influencer" and how it could be easily translated for brands, advocacy groups, and other players...
Chief Influencer is a project that Social Driver launched in partnership with The George Washington University and The Communications Board. We wanted to spotlight leaders who have a figured out how to break through in today's noisy and fragmented world. I've had the opportunity to interview some powerhouse leaders, such as U.S. Senator-elect Andy Kim, Swiss Ambassador Jacques Piettloud, American Pops Orchestra conductor Luke Frazier, and Gates Foundation President Allan Golston. What I've learned from them as expanded and changed my perspective on influence, for sure.
Chief Influencer is what I think thought leadership should be about - not hitting people over the head with a "buy now" message that we are all constantly bombarded with wherever we go. Instead, it distills universal lessons that leaders and communicators can benefit from and gives them away for free. When you're generous with expertise, people tend to trust you and come to you when they need help. We started Chief Influencer by reaching out to leaders we wanted to feature, but now, we also get amazing pitches from the communications teams working with top leaders who want to be included among this cohort. That - plus a growing audience - is how we know the project is a success.
If your organization is looking to develop a new brand platform that is helpful rather than selfish, start by asking yourself: Who are the people I most want to help? What would be most useful to them? How can I use my organization's unique position and resources to create value in a way that no one else is for these people?
3) What are your key digital predictions for 2025 and beyond?
In 2024, I've often repeated the line, "Faces are the new logos." I think that will continue to be true in 2025. From Influencers with a capital "I" (professionals who are paid to distribute a message to their audience) to influencers with a lower-case "i" (amateurs who share a message without any compensation - but can sometimes be even more effective), we see that people trust people more than brands. Authentic connections will outperform de-personalized distribution any day.
I predict - and I can back this up with survey data from hundreds of marketing and communications leaders - is that more companies and nonprofits will invest in building their brands of their leaders. Yes, CEOs, but also leaders at all levels across the organization who can authentically connect with people who the brand and CEO are unable to connect with as effectively. Social Driver had to develop a new Lead on LinkedIn program to meet the demand we are seeing. CEOs will bring us in and ask us to help train them, but also dozens of other people on their team, to use LinkedIn to supercharge their sales, fundraising, advocacy and more. When organizations are willing to invest, I know that it's a trend worth watching.
Lastly, I think as AI-generated content proliferates, we will all seek out resources from brands and people we know and trust. This doesn't mean folks won't use AI to do what they do better and faster. But it means that we will all get smarter about ignoring the stuff that is easiest to make and least helpful, and pay closer attention to the authentic stories that create value. Quality over quantity is the formula for authentic engagement in the age of AI.
Not to be controlled by Trump