As users continue to push back against House Bill 7521, a local influencer in Lexington is sharing how a potential TikTok ban would impact them personally.
Joe Samaan, otherwise known by his username on TikTok joegotti96, is a comedian with more than a million followers on the platform. He started posting in 2019, inspired by the customers who came into his dad's gas station in Stanton, where he worked for 12 years.
"That's where it came from all the videos and the inspiration acting like customers and making jokes out of it," said Samaan.
He now makes videos with his family at his uncle's shop "Joe's Mini Food Mart" on Loudon Avenue.
He's one of 170 million TikTok users in America reacting to the news that lawmakers may ban the app.
The House of Representatives approved a bill that some lawmakers said would protect national security from threats posed by foreign adversary-controlled applications like TikTok.
However, several users frustrated by the decision have spoken out against it. Samaan says it feels like an overreach.
"I don't think taking away TikTok is gonna help anything. Actually I think it makes it worse because a lot of people promote their small businesses a lot of people make money on it," said Samaan.
One study by Oxford Economics and funded by TikTok reported a $24.2 billion dollar impact on the U.S. GDP in 2023. They also estimate the app led to $14.7 billion for small businesses.
Samaan says he and many others like him would be among those to lose out on that financial benefit.
"It would impact me a lot. It'd hurt my pockets a little bit I ain't gone lie to you," said Samaan.
The Senate has yet to vote on the measure or even signal it would take it up. If they pass it, the measure would then go to the President for approval.
