TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — If your TikTok algorithm is all about cooking and eating, it's likely Alyssa Alonso has come across your "For You Page."
Alonso turned her love for cooking into her dream job.
"I was fortunate enough to make TikTok my full-time career. And that's what's so beautiful about TikTok. Not only do they have a Creator Fund that you can make a substantial amount of money on just by views alone, you're also being exposed to brands. I mean, just dream brands that I have wished to partner with my entire life," she said.
Alonso has even worked exclusively with the company to highlight the educational content on the platform.
"TikTok used to be an app that was known for, you know, kids dancing and pretty much just that. And then, in 2020, once the pandemic hit, a lot of people were looking for a source of entertainment. And back then, I started posting my recipe videos, and TikTok noticed me and contacted me and said, 'Hey, would you like to be a part of this program called the Learn on TikTok program? Because we're trying to transform our platform into a space where people can learn how to do things,'" she recalled.
Alonso's page isn't just about sharing her love for recipes. When a local restaurant posted they were closing due to declining business, she posted to her more than a million followers.
"I was able to make a TikTok, and they were able to stay open for way longer than they expected," she said.
But that's all in jeopardy.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a ban on the app. By Sunday, the platform Alonso relies on is set to go away.
"I'm still able to have partnerships on Meta [the parent company of Instagram]. But of course, the brand deals are larger if you're posting cross-platform. If you're posting on both Meta and TikTok, you're getting a bigger package deal for the brand deal that you're getting. So I, of course, will lose, I mean, a lot of or what I make, in a lot of ways, would be cut in half, because, you know, I'm no longer posting it on my TikTok platform, and I would just be posting it on Instagram," she said.
The government said the Chinese-owned app is a national security risk and that our data is at risk every time we open it.
"There has never been one single moment where I felt as though TikTok has jeopardized my security online. If anything, there are other social media apps that I have questioned multiple times," Alonso said.
The only way TikTok survives is if an American company buys it.
"I would hope that the algorithm would stay the same because that's the most important, important part about TikTok is the algorithm. It's so unique. It's better than any other platform out there. And I unfortunately think that that wouldn't happen if they were to get bought by an American company," she predicted.
For now, the clock is ticking for the popular app.
"I just really want people to know how much she meant to us"
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