BALTIMORE COUNTY — For Leah Seeling, what began as a hobby a few years ago has since grown into a full-time job.
Seeling, a Maryland native, showcases the state's best in family fun, date nights, getaways and hikes on social media under the handle "MDFunFam" on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
"My sole purpose of doing this is to encourage people to make core memories," Seeling told WMAR. "So - just hearing locals getting out and exploring and doing things that they normally wouldn't do or didn't even know existed - that is everything."
Now, TikTok's cottage industry of online content is in jeopardy; creators on TikTok are bracing for impact as the app prepares to shut down as soon as this weekend.
Seeling has amassed more than 40,000 followers and 700,000 likes on her TikTok page. Though TikTok is not Seeling's primary platform, she anticipates impacts on partnerships and pricing.
"I will be losing over 40,000 followers, which I put a lot of time and effort and engagement to build. So seeing 40-plus thousand followers potentially fall to the wayside is really disheartening. Especially, because when I work with brands- that's an extra 41-plus thousand I'm advertising to," Seeling said in an interview with WMAR.
Local businesses, Seeling notes, could also miss out on the exposure TikTok brings.
"Unfortunately, I think it's going to affect them," Seeling described, "because a lot of small businesses do not have the budget for advertising, or a larger budget. So that's why social media has been so amazing for small businesses because they can advertise for a very low cost."
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in Washington have cited national security concerns with the app. A bipartisan bill last year ordered TikTok to divest from ByteDance, its Chinese owner; to sell to American buyers or face a ban.
President-elect Donald Trump tried to ban TikTok via executive order during his first term, but recently signaled interest in reversing course.
The app could shut down in the US this Sunday, January 19.
"I am still optimistic," Seeling said. "Maybe I'm being optimistic, I do feel there is a potential that things will change and it's still going to be around."
Seeling encouraged users to save everything from their TikTok accounts in the event the app shuts down.
READ MORE: Will TikTok be banned in the US? These are the scenarios that could save it
