How Gen Z social pros are thinking about TikTok and the future of short-form video
Account leads from Sesame Workshop, Sweet Loren’s, SwimOutlet and Edelman weigh in.
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Well before TikTok’s 12-hour period of nonexistence in the U.S., the thought leadership and hot takes had already begun pouring in. The volume only accelerated after the app returned bearing a message of gratitude for President Donald Trump.
Trouble is, many of these predictions and opinions came from people who rarely touch the app.
Instead, we went to the folks who are the app’s target audience and core user base, but who also have a professional stake in it and use it daily for both business and pleasure: Gen Z social media managers.
Read on for these under-30 social pros’ impressions of the app’s initial ban, its still-impending potential demise and their plans and predictions for what’s next for brands and social video.
Wake-up call
Every social pro we spoke to said they spent TikTok’s “blip” weekend locked onto their phone. These professionals have seen apps come and go, but not so suddenly. Because past ban threats had not come to fruition, many believed it would never happen — until it did.
“For many brands and creators, it showed us the impermanence of social media. Everything you’ve taken months or years to build can unfortunately be gone overnight,” said Enara Roy, social media and influencer marketing manager for plant-based cookie dough Sweet Loren’s, which has 32,000 followers on TikTok.
Christina Vittas, social media manager at Sesame Workshop and one of the minds behind the content Sesame Street creates for its 1.4 million TikTok followers, feels deflated, even after the app returned. “Having a lack of control over the industry or platform you work in is not unique to social media, but at this moment,” she said. “It feels like an entire universe of creators, brands, and content could be lost with a click of a button.”
“From a personal content creation standpoint, losing TikTok is upsetting,” said Jeremy Linaburg, the social media specialist who manages the account for SwimOutlet.com, which has rallied 87.8K followers on the app. “It’s a creative outlet for me as a social media manager who spends every day inside branded accounts. Professionally, it was heartbreaking to see the platform down for 12 hours. It felt like two years of hard work curating content and building a swim community could be gone in an instant. That’s a tough pill to swallow.”
Dakota Lowe, VP, social strategy at Edelman, has her eyes fixed on this new dynamic between the U.S. government and social media platforms — not just TikTok’s effusive expressions of gratitude for Trump, but also the executives at Meta and X cozying up with the administration. “It’s clear there’s been a cultural shift in how platforms think about government involvement, Trump’s perspective, and what they prioritize. Our government has also shown just how much power they have over our public forums, and that’s concerning, both from a consumer and a brand perspective.”
Where to?
So, will brands ditch TikTok in the coming months? Probably not.
“I don’t think brands will abandon TikTok — at least not yet,” Linaburg said. “The brands I work with, for instance, have built strong communities on the platform, and we’re not planning to leave unless TikTok is permanently shut down. Why would we abandon years of work developing a loyal swim audience?”
He also noted that accounts such as Poppi, Duolingo and The Empire State Building are unlikely to abandon the platform where their content has seen the most explosive performance unless they have to.
“As brands wait to see how things pan out, I can imagine they may decrease or pause spend on paid TikTok collaborations and advertising,” Roy said. “I think brands and creators will continue to organically post for as long as they can, while simultaneously prioritizing growth on other platforms. While brands may adjust their tone, content style or frequency of posting depending on the platform, one thing that should remain the same is creating content that resonates and connects with your audience. ”
TikTok’s creator community exhibits some behaviors that are less effectivon other platforms, notably, according to Vittas, its periodic flurries of video creation in reaction to global phenomena — and the ban has prompted just such a surge. “Users were posting before it was ‘too late’ and unleashed content that was sitting in their drafts or taking to their accounts to weigh in with the time they had left on the platform,” she said. “I think, if TikTok continues as the app we know it to be, and once the dust settles of whatever pending deal comes its way, this could be the start of a new era of creators and content on TikTok. And when user behavior changes, brands are next in line to follow suit.”
All that said, the ban and TikTok’s thank-you note to Trump could have an impact on TikTok’s brand perception among its core audience. “People feel like their FYP and the content they’re getting served have changed, which is a large part of what made TikTok feel special,” Lowe said. “I suspect we’ll see it fall out of favor a bit, especially with Gen Z and Gen A.”
Lessons from TikTok’s heyday
There’s a great deal to be learned from TikTok’s stint as reigning monarch of social video, which began in earnest during the pandemic but continues today.
“If we lose TikTok, we lose a platform that fosters authentic self-expression, creative communities, and real-time cultural moments—truthfully fueling most trends we see arise online today,” Lowe said. “It’s not just about the content; it’s about culture.”
Whether another app can wholly replicate it remains to be seen.
“If there’s one thing that TikTok has shown us, it’s that people are craving for more authenticity and relatability online,” Roy said. “Coming from the era of buttoned-up, picture perfect Instagram feeds, many creators and brands have learned to let loose and have a little bit more fun with their social content.”
She noted that in the past year, EGC, or employee-generated content, has seen an uptick, —with brands like Cisco and United Airlines seeing positive results after featuring employees, —and that’s likely to continue across short-form video platforms because “it helps build trust and gives a realistic glimpse into the company from the people that work there.”
While some consider Instagram Reels and TikTok to be either-or options with similar appeal, the two have has for some time worked symbiotically, driving entertainment-seeking fans from viral TikTok content to creators’ Instagram accounts to get to know them better through its diversified and more readily scannable media options and messaging functions.
Roy also reminds us that TikTok is as much a news and information source as Google, surpassing the latter as the preferred search engine among younger generations.
Some have pointed to Chinese Instagram competitor Xiaohongshu, known widely as RedNote, as a possible competitor. Although most of the social pros we spoke to for this story pointed to YouTube Shorts earning the lion’s share of migration, Lowe advised brands not to brush off RedNote, which surged to the top of app stores’ most-downloaded apps as the ban approached. “I think we’re underestimating Gen Z’s commitment to the bit,” she said. “Gen Z is willing to go far when it’s entertaining to them and contrary to what others expect. Though I’m not recommending RedNote as a viable brand opportunity just yet, I do think we should all be monitoring the usage and taking the broad adoption more seriously.”
What now?
Even if there is a sale, this is a moment for reflection. “This might be the best moment to take the time to boil down what you believe made the difference for your brand to excel on TikTok,” Vittas said. “And from there, what is in your control? What is the difference between your brands’ audience on TikTok versus your brands’ audience on other platforms? Is there a new way to approach your strategy or process?”
“Great storytelling, leveraging unique consumer insights, surprising hooks, and engagement opportunities will always be in style,” Lowe said.
Roy got a bit more practical: “Don’t forget to save your in-app drafts, take screenshots of your analytics, and let your followers know other platforms they can find you on.”
And don’t forget to put your community first: “Brands should remain consistent in their messaging and content,” Linaburg said. “If your brand wasn’t addressing the ban before, don’t start now. Instead, focus on creating content that makes your community feel valued and comfortable. Stability and reassurance go a long way.”
Dive in with what’s next for TikTok at PR Daily’s 2025 Social Media Conference at Disney World’s Swan Resort, March 19-21, 2025.