Photo credit: Amanda Vick
TikTok is testing an endangered new video feature called “TikTok Stories” which is similar to Snapchat.
TikTok stories will only remain on a user’s account for 24 hours before they are deleted. The feature was started by Snapchat, but has since been copied by Facebook, Instagram, and even Twitter. Twitter shut down its endangered “fleets” earlier this week, citing low usage.
“We were hoping Fleets would help more people feel comfortable joining the conversation on Twitter,” confirms a Twitter spokesperson. “But since we introduced Fleets to everyone, we haven’t seen an increase in the number of new people joining the conversation with Fleets as we had hoped. “
Twitter has ditched endangered videos, so it’s interesting to see TikTok embrace them.
The fleets were first introduced in November 2020 and only lasted eight months before Twitter removed the feature. Asked about the new feature, a spokesperson for TikTok said it was an experiment.
“We’re always thinking about new ways to add value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience. Currently, we are experimenting with ways to give creators additional formats to bring their creative ideas to life for the TikTok community.
TikTok has not provided any details on who will test the endangered videos – or whether they will be deployed for everyone.
Stories seem to be the brand image most social media companies keep to do away with content. But Twitter’s inability to find a use for endangered tweets shows that it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Disappearing videos isn’t really a great way to help songs go viral, for example.
At this point, anyone born after 1980 is familiar with some form of social network. Videos that disappear are new, but the fear of missing out (FOMO) they inspire makes social media a chore. Also, I’m not sure we should trust a Chinese company to say they are removing content.
The United States government is still actively banning the TikTok app, as are many corporate environments in the United States. Last year, Wells Fargo asked its employees to remove TikTok from their devices due to data collection issues. The move came after it was revealed that TikTok was accessing data on the user’s clipboard while running in the background.
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