Be in The Know
Happy MLK Day, Carnies.
It’s been a historic weekend for social media, which at times felt less like a news cycle and more like reality television.
Here’s what we know:
🕡 Last week, Bob Dylan joined TikTok about five years too late, while the app was flooded for days with melodramatic goodbyes, saccharine thank-yous, and viral oversharing.
🕥 Then, TikTok went offline in the U.S. prematurely at 10:35 p.m. on Saturday night, with users receiving the message “President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution.”
🕛 The despair set in when creators and marketers realized that the ban extended to CapCut, along with several related apps.
🕐 But! Just in time, Instagram announced a blatant CapCut ripoff called Edits, launching in February.
🕑 After just 14 hours, TikTok was back online with a Welcome Back message lauding “President Trump’s efforts” to restore service on Sunday.
🕒 Ad campaigns resumed, too, with TikTok warning advertisers of live campaign limitations and temporary service instability in the U.S.
🕖 Today, Trump has promised to finalize an executive order that would delay the TikTok ban up to 90 days in hopes of reaching a deal with ByteDance in which the U.S. would “own 50% of the company.”
🍜 Fortunately, you can now order Progresso Soup Drops (“Soup You Can Suck On!”) to cleanse your palate from *gestures wildly* all of this.
TikTok Housekeeping
Here’s how to download your TikTok data:
- Tap Profile at the bottom of the app.
- Tap the Menu ☰ button at the top, then Settings and privacy.
- Tap Account.
- Tap Download your data.
- Select information to download and file format.
- Tap Request data. You’ll be notified in the app when your file is ready for download, which could take a few days.
Here’s how to save videos:
A. Go to the video you’d like to download, tap the Share button, then save video.
B. Use the Chrome extension TikTok Video Downloader to download videos on your computer.
C. Use an app like SaveTok, TikDown, TokSave, TikSave, or TikPro.
D. Take screen recordings of videos… if you have the time.
Q for You
Filmora
In the not unlikely event of an essential video-editing tool in your workflow vanishing overnight, be prepared.
Filmora is about as close as you can get to a 1:1 CapCut alternative.
If you’re already a CapCut user, there won’t be much of a learning curve. It’s got a similar UI, intuitive functionality, and AI-powered editing features and generators.
And yes, there’s a free tier.
Listen
My Legacy
Today, iHeartMedia, The Martin Luther King III Foundation, and Legacy+ launched “My Legacy,” a new podcast series hosted by Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, Craig Kielburger, and Marc Kielburger.
Each Monday, new episodes will feature conversations with Mel Robbins, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, David Oyelowo, Billy Porter, Martin Sheen, and others, each joined by a loved one or friend to help illuminate the “trials, triumphs and truths behind their incredible journeys.”
