'you Own Nothing Here On Social': Meta Outage, Looming Tiktok Ban Has Creators Questioning How Much Of Their Business They Really Control

Meta confirmed that its services were down connected Wednesday conscionable earlier 2 p.m., pinch nan wide outage affecting astir of its products, including Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads, and Facebook Messenger.

We're alert that a method rumor is impacting immoderate users' expertise to entree our apps. We're moving to get things backmost to normal arsenic quickly arsenic imaginable and apologize for immoderate inconvenience.

— Meta (@Meta) December 11, 2024

Instagram users reported issues connected DownDetector starting astir 12:30 p.m., and Meta followed up connected X that services were 99% back.

Related: I Have Over 214,000 Followers connected TikTok. Here's What I'm Doing Right Now In Case a Ban Happens.

However, for influencers and creators crossed nan Internet, it amounted to almost half a clip of activity missed. And pinch a imaginable TikTok prohibition looming conscionable weeks away, galore are opening to admit they mightiness not personification arsenic overmuch powerfulness complete their contented and businesses arsenic they primitively thought.

Earlier this week successful a tribunal filing, TikTok said that if nan prohibition goes done adjacent month, creators and mini businesses successful nan U.S. could suffer $1.3 cardinal successful gross and earnings—in 1 month.

"Those numbers would only summation if nan shutdown extends for overmuch than a month," said Blake Chandlee, president of world business solutions for TikTok, successful nan filing.

Related: A TikTok Ban Could Threaten nan Livelihood of Many Entrepreneurs — Here's How Businesses Can Protect Themselves

This has creators who spot connected societal media to make a surviving wondering what's next.

During nan outage, galore creators moved to X to position astir really they needed to commencement to diversify. While moving to YouTube was a celebrated option, 1 old-school mean seemed to beryllium nan apical choice: email.

— Jeff Felten ? (@HeyJeffFelten) December 11, 2024

In summation to building an email list, joining different societal platforms, and starting newsletters, creators propose tailoring contented to each level alternatively of conscionable lump-posting nan aforesaid videos everyplace to springiness contented a overmuch authentic-to-the-platform consciousness (like longer videos for YouTube, for example).

Others propose reaching retired to ample brands pinch influencer trading programs, for illustration Walmart and Amazon, to diversify your contented and options.

The TikTok prohibition could return effect Jan. 19.