It's the first week of Trump's noncontiguous second term, TikTok's ban in the U.S. still holds strong in the Supreme Court despite an executive order to save it, and social rivals posture to benefit from the fallout.

But far downstream of the Big Tech giants, creators and small businesses wait to see what becomes of their hard-built followings and monetizable social communities. TikTok generates hundreds of billions of dollars while supporting millions of creators, and its demise will hit small niches the hardest.

Steph Payas and James Michalak of NeoReach, an influencer marketing agency managing $250 million in campaigns, weigh in on the potential fallout.

Economic consequences: "If you look at TikTok's impact as it relates to the creator economy specifically, it is hundreds of billions of dollars spread across millions of everyday Americans," Michalak explains. "To walk away from that would be detrimental to the Consumer Price Index and people's personal wealth. It's an indicator that politics and partisan conversations are being prioritized over individuals' incomes."

Michalak emphasizes the human cost, noting that TikTok supports everyday creators, not just social media celebrities. "We talk to creators every day. It's not only your Charlie D'Amelio's or MrBeast's. It's moms trying to put food on the table and grad students trying to pay their way through school."

Platform differences: A NeoReach survey revealed that creators often rely heavily on TikTok as their primary platform, with significant follower disparities across platforms. "We’ve found that the average difference in follower count between TikTok and other platforms is approximately 157,000. The largest discrepancy reported was from a creator who shared that their follower difference is nearly 9 million." says Payas.