TikTok is known for its short-form videos, but the ByteDance-owned app just gave its users a new way to communicate with their followers. It has introduced text posts that can be enhanced with Stickers, Sounds, and other TikTok products.
In an introductory blog post, TikTok hailed text posts as “a new way to create.” The app is betting that its decision to encourage varied forms of communication will broaden its influential culture. “With text posts, we’re expanding the boundaries of content creation for everyone on TikTok, giving the written creativity we’ve seen in comments, captions, and videos a dedicated space to shine,” reads the post.
Adding a dedicated space for text won’t just boost creativity — it also has several other potential benefits for TikTok. One of the app’s main rivals, YouTube, has extolled the virtues of a multiformat approach to content creation. By adding dedicated text, music, and photo features, TikTok is moving beyond videos and crafting its own multiformat experience for creators and consumers.
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TikTok’s new format will also help it compete with Twitter. The erratic leadership of Elon Musk is causing millions of users to flee a platform once known for its text-based content. By establishing Threads, Meta has carved out a home for former Twitter users. TikTok has now crafted a similar space.
Though text posts could shift TikTok’s place in the tech industry, the feature will serve the app’s existing users first and foremost. Communities like #BookTok have experienced explosive growth by extolling the power of the written word. In its introductory post, TikTok specifically called out its literary communities as potential uses of text content. “Text is the latest addition to options for content creation, allowing creators to share their stories, poems, lyrics, and other written content on TikTok,” the post reads.
Introducing more text to TikTok could also improve the app’s functionality as a search engine. Google sounded the alarm bells when TikTok began to encroach on its core business last year. Though TikTok’s search engine push may have already peaked, its text posts could once again make it a valuable discovery tool for millions of young users.
