TikTok Now is the latest to follow suit by introducing a new creators tool to make content in real-time. A feature that shockingly mimics the likes of BeReal. 3 Weeks ago, Instagram launched its latest dual-camera feature which was shortly followed by Snapchat to give users the possibility to create faster content in real-time. We see trouble on the horizon as social media apps fight it out to wipe out any chances for users to find new apps to create content.
What is TikTok Now?
TikTok Now is the newest way for the app to add a feature that will allow its users to create content that will entertain and connect with others on TikTok instantaneously. The app announced that the latest feature encourages users to capture whatever they are doing at the moment using the device’s front and back camera to share with friends (sounds familiar right?)
TikTok Now will send a daily prompt to capture a 10-second video or a static photo to quickly and easily share what the user is up to. Similar to BeReal but different in the sense that TikTok just like Instagram and Snapchat, strategically decided not to implement any window time frame to respond. The time frame window was one of the lowest aspects of BeReal as many users said it put them under pressure to snap something interesting that they were doing, making it the most stressful 2 mins of their lives.
What makes TikTok Now different from BeReal?
Marketing itself as a new and creative way to make authentic moments, we steer away from calling it 100% authentic as the app still allows the utilization of filters. Filters have long been seen as a distortion of reality as it incentives low self-esteem and unrealistic standards of beauty. On the other hand, we have to agree that the use of filters and creative tools such as music to create quick dances with effects or for videos with duets and stitches is a much more entertaining alley for younger generations to foster authentic and spontaneous connections on TikTok. A strategically marketed space to bring alive content that is not able to exist in a world without AI technology.
We have to keep in mind that BeReal was invented with the intention to be 100% transparent. An older target audience who understood a social platform before filters, ads or anything that came with a condition to share your life with friends. Whereas TikTok wants to create a social space for new generations to use creative tools that are not realistic. A fun aspect that makes TikTol, well let’s say TikTok.
Tiktok publicly announced that they are experimenting with TikTok Now over the next coming weeks and that the feature will be available in the US, which can be accessed directly from the main app. In other regions, TikTok Now may be available even as a new TikTok Now app, too. Leading us to think if having 2 TikTok accounts will either be a nuance to manage or either a silver lining to merge followers with a different and more “authentic” version of yourself.
Still deemed to be an experimental feature, the company stated that TikTok now is still a work in progress to understand the benefits of the feature, and they are committed to enhancing the user experience by learning more about how the TikTok community embraces this new format.
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