By Faith Callens, BBF Blog Writer

I have signed off. For the last two years, I have been a content creator on TikTok, what we all know started out as a regular app that soon catapulted millions as years went by.

Today, TikTok is known as “regular” filmed content app that you can watch by your best friend, your mom, your cousin, really whoever all across the world. All you have, scratch that, HAD, to do was log in, create an account and you can instantly start watching people online: talk, do, or say what they want, when they want, how they want and there’s nothing said. Well, except for the people who are watching your videos and so happen to comment their thoughts under them.

No filter. Hardly no edit. Just a free space for those who are interested in making content and people from anywhere can literally watch you.

Not to mention save your videos, duet your videos.. it was a time.

But, as of today, Jan. 18, 2025, TikTok could possibly come to a close, “Going Dark”, starting tomorrow, Sunday Jan. 19, and remain banned from those content creators in the U.S., who have made the platform apart of their livelihood, engraved in their everyday activities, unless President Trump takes action Monday and changes things.

But, for now, the ban is active, it will remain and plans as I just stated are going into effect tommorow. My thoughts regarding the platform as a Gen Z creator is that the TikTok app, was the most freeing app anybody within the United States has ever gotten to experience, especially in the earlier development days. There were barely any rules, no TikTok shop, no ads, just straight content from people who you knew and people who you followed to learn more about.

Like my platform, I had my own account since it opened. I didn’t get on it right away but I allowed myself time to be open to it, as in anything else, I pursue. But, I started out with no views, no comments, no idea what content people wanted to see, but I took a chance on myself and created an account I didn’t know at the time how to run.

You may ask, what did your TikTok consist of: GOD, More GOD and real life. I was a car talker/motivational speaker to those all across the world. Any time of the day, anywhere and on that platform, I looked at my analytics for 2024, and I impacted 130,000 people with just my voice, my realness, my conversations with God right there each day, holding my hand.

Now, saying all that.. I didn’t make any money. I know you’re probably saying, “No Money”, no money, straight zero cents in my TikTok account. But, for me, it wasn’t about money. The bigger message that I left those that I impacted with was hope, courage, peace, restoration and the biggest of all, TRUST IN GOD. I basically discipled to thousands of people over time and I didn’t know it.

But, I will say something else about TikTok, that was so different. You could learn about almost anything, just by logging on at the right time and being tuned in, in the right place, and if you missed some thing or couldn’t watch it all the way through, you could bookmark it and go back and watch it later. So many gems were dropped on TikTok from financial advice, self help, funny videos to make you laugh, and some videos were horrifying some times, that made you want to cry. But, It was refreshing because it was real, some times filmed in real time, once again with no edits.. or restrictions. I am just thankful to have experienced an app so global, so refreshing at times and so interesting to have..

INFORMATIVE.

For the ones who didn’t get a chance to experience this app, I’m not sure we will have another but for now, know I enjoyed the TikTok Shop, once I felt safe to order from it. It had all sorts of gadgets and things, similar to Amazon but cheaper and TikTok, created community for so many, that didn’t feel seen, heard or feel anyone cared.

To TikTok, thank you! I have enjoyed those I got to meet, the conversations I’ve had with those in real time, including the live streams of those who had impactful messages.

Thank you for exposing the younger generation of people to what a single app can do and what change that app alone made in people’s lives and it also sometimes brought light to things that wasn’t shared on mainstream media, so Thank You!

Now, of course, it was a dark side to the app, where teens were posting content displaying and doing things they shouldn’t have, but that’s when I hope parents of those said kids were able to get involved and take the app away from the kids fingers and educate them about social media and the ethics of using it.

However, it’s a sad day, for not just me. But, for all of those who use the platform but as of this day, I just wanted to share my experience about the app and what it meant to me and share my message about the platform since I did, effective today.. deleted my account and deleted the app forever.

I’m not sure where to go from here.. so Thank you all for reading this, if you got to the end.

Take Care,

Until another blog post.. I’m Faith and I’m signing off.. Once again.