Creators are complaining that the TikTok Shop is turning the app into an ad-filled wasteland

• TikTok creators are complaining about TikTok Shop ads making the app “dystopian.”
• TikTok created the TikTok Shop and an affiliate creator program in early 2023.
• Instagram nixed its own shop tab from its home feed in 2021.

TikTok creators are starting to complain that the app is showing them more sponsored content, making the space feel “dystopian.”

TikToker Grace Brassel, who has more than 500,000 followers, said in a video that the app is becoming “like SHIEN and AliExpress had a baby,” because of things like TikTok Shop advertisements and the “NPC trend,” where influencers stand in live streams and perform a nonstop loop of robotic actions that correspond to the digital gifts they receive.