TikTok is trying to turn its comments into an interactive format. The app has unveiled several new ways to talk back to creators, including audio responses, photo carousels, and polls.
A Newsroom post runs through the updates to TikTok’s comments section. Voice Comments, rolling out next month to users over 18, can be up to 60 seconds long and can be played by anyone. Comment Polls, which are currently available, can have up to five options and run for a set timeframe. And with Photo Carousels and Live Photo Comments, up to nine images can be appended to a post. The former of those features is out now, and the latter — which adds “a brief burst of motion” to photos — is arriving in the coming month.
“Photo comments have become one of the most loved ways people express themselves on TikTok. And we’re making the feature even more useful with two updates: Photo Carousel Comments and Live Photo Comments,” reads the post. “We’re excited to see how creators and fans take reactions to the next level with these updates.”
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The new comment types offer expanded utility for users, but several ulterior motives could be informing these developments. The voice comments have the potential to spawn viral audio soundbites that inspire TikTok trends. The Newsroom post recognizes the TikTok community’s tendency to turn “audio clips into jokes.”
On a more general level, expanding comments brings more posting volume to TikTok, which can enhance the app’s utility as a search engine. Layered, threaded conversations were once considered to be important sources for AI chatbots, but as those reference points shift toward creator content, the field of answer engine optimization has gained more credibility among marketers.
Ultimately, the simplest explanation for TikTok’s commenting push is that the platform wants to be an “everything app,” just like many of its rivals. TikTok has already expanded its photo infrastructure, harkening back to the days of old-school Instagram. Now, it is put Insta-style photos, YouTube-style community polls, and Snap-style live responses into the same comment section.
