India's TikTok stars, left in lurch by ban, seek alternative apps as they count cost of China tensions

Shivani Kapila was in for a shock on June 29 when, after spending two years amassing 11 million followers on TikTok, she suddenly found herself locked out of her account as the Indian government began a crackdown on Chinese apps, citing security concerns.

The 26-year-old from the small town of Surat in the northwestern Indian state of Gujarat had left her career in human resources to become an influencer, offering lighthearted commentary on social issues, only to see her burgeoning career wiped out in an instant amid rising tensions between New Delhi and Beijing.

"For me, TikTok was my mother. I saw my dreams become reality because of TikTok," Kapila said. "With TikTok, for the first time, I realised I could chase my passion ... Now all was gone in a click."

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The Indian government has now banned more than 200 Chinese apps but TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, was by far the most popular, with more than 600 million users in India. It grew so large that 14 of the country's regional languages had been added to the app at the time of the ban, to allow a wide variety of content creators like Kapila to hare their localised video content.

Its blacklisting seemingly offered both domestic and foreign players the perfect opportunity to capitalise, but no platform has yet successfully filled the void.

Influencers with no influence

Geet, another of India's rising TikTok stars, lost many of her 11 million followers when access to the app was cut, leaving her searching for other places to share her videos covering English tuition, women's rights and disability awareness.

"Initially after the ban, my followers were very shaken up." she said, adding that many had found solace, entertainment and education on TikTok amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"They asked me: 'Where will we learn English now? Where will we be motivated now?' I did direct people to follow me on other social media platforms, but many of them said they don't use these ... only a few thousand actually followed."

Geet, who is also a social worker, said she was hopeful that TikTok might be reinstated in India while she searches, fruitlessly so far, for an alternative.

Indian TikTok star Geet has been searching for an alternative social media platform to the China-made video-sharing app. Photo: Geet alt=Indian TikTok star Geet has been searching for an alternative social media platform to the China-made video-sharing app. Photo: Geet

TikTok's sudden absence hit those who depended on it for their incomes especially hard. According to industry estimates, about 200,000 or so of these influencers - who earn revenue through brand deals, sponsored videos, and virtual "gifts" from fans that can be traded in for cash - were operating on TikTok in India at the time of the ban.

For 24-year-old Jesus Mehta, who lives in a rural part of Gujarat, the 60,000 rupees (US$820) he earned each month beatboxing on TikTok was enough to pay all his bills - until the money abruptly stopped.

"It affected me both financially and emotionally," said Mehta, who is now trying to make up for lost income by teaching children beatboxing. "I had a great active audience with whom I used to interact in live sessions. I felt very close to them. There was even an option for the followers to give gift points which we can monetise. That's also gone now."

Jesus Mehta, a TikTok beatboxer, lost his main source of income when the app was banned in India. Photo: Jesus Mehta alt=Jesus Mehta, a TikTok beatboxer, lost his main source of income when the app was banned in India. Photo: Jesus Mehta

A bleak future

Few in India believe the TikTok ban will be lifted any time soon given the rapid deterioration in bilateral relations with China over the course of this year. The app bans began following a deadly flare-up at their disputed border which continued throughout summer - with the first shots in 45 years reportedly fired last month.

Although the Indian government is officially considering reversing some of its bans on Chinese apps on a case-by-case basis, a senior official from the Ministry of Information Technology, speaking on condition of anonymity, told This Week In Asia that TikTok was highly unlikely to be included.

"We know where to hurt them [Chinese]," the official said. "Not sure whether these things will be fully sorted even when the border issues are resolved."

Meanwhile, some of the 2,000 or so locally employed staff working for ByteDance have already started finding work elsewhere, according to Praanesh Bhuvaneswar, CEO of Indian influencer marketing firm Qoruz.

"Most of the middle management people of TikTok ... have already moved out and switched jobs. Even the top-notch guys who were sticking around until now have started hunting other jobs," he said.

ByteDance declined to comment for this article.

A host of other apps are now lining up in the hope of stealing TikTok's India crown, from home-grown digital clones such as Chingari, Mitron and Roposo, to YouTube's Shorts and Instagram's Reels.

But Ashutosh Harbola, co-founder and CEO of influencer marketing firm Buzzoka, said no clear leader had yet emerged in the three months since the ban came into effect - and he thinks it's all down to the name.

"The name of the app itself is extremely important. I doubt whether any of the existing apps could scale up the levels of TikTok," he said.

"To start with, TikTok was a very simple name. Consider the competitors. No one in southern India would know or understand what Chingari is. Who will understand Roposo? ... Even Mitron, a word which became popular after the prime minister's speeches, would struggle to resonate with people.

"On the contrary, TikTok was a pan-India unifier through its name. If you ask me whether anyone can replicate TikTok's success, [I say] absolutely not."

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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