TikTok users can now share text-based content in addition to videos, photos and duets on the platform.
In a post, TikTok said the inclusion of text posts to the platform seeks to push the boundaries of content creation for its users.
“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.” TikTok wrote in the post.
Users can choose the background color, add music and tags and hashtags to their text posts. Similar to photos and video posts, users can save drafts for later editing or discard them entirely.
Once shared, other users can engage with the post similar to how they interact with video posts; commenting, stitching and dueting.
The feature update comes at a time when recent changes in Twitter in Musk’s era have faced criticism and seen a decline in traffic. Various text-based micro-blogging platforms including Mastodon, Bluesky and Threads have come up as alternatives for Twitter. With over a billion monthly active users according to BusinessofApps, could the short-form video platform be positioning itself to offer to take on Twitter and Threads?
Meta’s Threads had been viewed as a Twitter killer after its successful launch by commentators. However, the platform’s popularity seems to be on the decline with the number of daily active users dropping significantly.
In addition to giving users a new way to express and share their creativity, TikTok seeks to offer an alternative to its users who want to share text-based content.
