In the late evening of Jan. 18, millions of TikTok users nationwide were greeted with black screens and a dreaded pop-up confirming the contentious ruling in the Supreme Court Case, TikTok, Inc. v. Garland. Not only had the ban been seemingly upheld, it transpired a day quicker than what was initially anticipated. Though the chipper “Please stay tuned!” at the end of the message seemed optimistic, without TikTok — the pub for all things opinions and speculations — users were left to their own devices to arrive at a conclusion until TikTok was restored the following morning. 

Regardless of the ban’s intentions, one thing is clear. Hundreds of millions of lives would be impacted — whether it be entrepreneurs that utilize TikTok to bring exposure to their business, content creators who rely on the platform for income, individuals who cherish making daily vlogs, or even people who simply need a creative outlet. For Kirin Agnihotri (12), TikTok combines the latter in the form of daily vlogs documenting each day of senior year. 

“I started [this account] August 1, 2024 just for vlogs,” Agnihotri said. “One of my friends in Texas has a media business, and when I go down there to visit he would always vlog our trip. I figured since it’s my senior year, I could do the same thing because I have a year of my life to remember.” 

What was once a spontaneous idea quickly turned into a fun addition to an otherwise typical daily routine — and the ban threatens its very livelihood and everything it has to offer for Agnihotri. 

“I’ve definitely gotten closer with a lot of people who like to be in them, and I also like to edit them,” Agnihotri said. “Sometimes it takes a while and it’s annoying, but it’s cool because at the same time I’m watching a recap of my day.”

Mixed reactions concerning the potential ban flooded the internet: some believed it would be the end of TikTok while others held out hope. With the previous TikTok ban scares in mind, many — including Aghnihotri — didn’t think this time would be different. 

“I’ve had TikTok since 2020 but that first ban [rumor], I didn’t really pay attention to it,” Agnihotri said. “Then when the recent one was announced, I was like, ‘It’s not gonna get banned, like there’s no way.’” 

Though President Trump has since issued an executive order protecting TikTok and users’ First Amendment rights for 75 days, actually upholding the ban in the United States means leaving up to 170 million American TikTok users cold-turkey. This temporarily became a reality when an informational pop-up message prevented users from accessing the app during the 12-hour period of “darkness.”

“I kept opening [TikTok] out of denial,” Agnihotri said. “I was a little hurt because I didn’t have my videos, [but] I requested to download all my information as soon as the message popped up.”

As a platform, TikTok has earned itself the reputation of being a more addictive, engaging and carefree version of counterparts like Instagram, with each scroll having the potential to greatly impact everyday choices, goals and decisions. 

“A lot of stuff on Tiktok can influence your life and inspire you,” Agnihotri said. “I got one Tiktok of a guy [who] said, “Donate blood, save a life,” and that got me into donating my blood. Another video was a guy making flowers, and that ended up becoming a little hobby and I worked at a florist for a little less than a year.”

In the weeks leading up to the TikTok ban, users experienced a myriad of emotions, from nostalgia and sadness to determination. Whether people were advocating for their First Amendment rights or participating in nostalgic trends, everyone became more united.

“Once you realize you’re gonna lose something, the whole community gets really close,” Agnihotri said. “I remember seeing so many nostalgic videos, and I feel like the community got closer in a sense.”