TikTok users can now post text-only content, which is a departure for the social media app known for its short videos.
The new format is the latest change to the social media landscape after Twitter rebranded itself as X on Sunday and Meta introduced Threads, a new text-based social media app, this month.
tiktok announced change in a blog post However, on Monday night Some users He said he first got access to the text-only format in June.
“With text posts, we’re expanding the boundaries of content creation for everyone on TikTok, giving written creativity seen in comments, captions and videos a dedicated space to shine,” said the company’s blog post.
The feature allows users to post videos and photos without the background visuals that TikTok is known for. There did not appear to be a separate name for the text post feature.
Before the new format was introduced, users could type text in video and image posts as well as in captions and comments. Some people will create their own text-only posts by sharing screenshots of text-centric content from outside of TikTok, including other social media apps and text message conversations.
TikTok text posts can be customized the same way video and photo posts are customized, using music, background colors, and stickers. People can also tag other users and add hashtags. A TikTok spokesperson said in an email that text posts can be up to 1,000 characters long. The company said the app will continue to limit video descriptions to 2,200 characters and comments to 150 characters.
TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, gained popularity with its visual and audio-centric content, including short videos of people dancing and performing, that became synonymous with the app in its early days.
Over a billion people use the app every monthInvolved 150 million people In the United States, however, access has been restricted by some local and national governments due to security concerns, according to TikTok.
The new TikTok format comes in the wake of other major changes by the most popular social media companies.
This week, Elon Musk renamed Twitter X and has begun replacing the company’s trademark bird logo with a new letter logo online and at the company’s headquarters. Last July, Twitter said it had more than 237 million daily active users.
Meta, the company that owns Instagram and Facebook, unveiled its Twitter rival Threads this month. Posts are text-focused, but users can also share videos and photos.
In less than a week after its launch, Meta said that more than 100 million people had signed up for threads. It is not yet clear whether this initial success will be sustained.
Threads was introduced at a time of turmoil for Twitter, which has seen significant changes since Mr Musk bought it last year.
