TikTok, the popular video-sharing app, has announced that users can now post written content on the platform, in an attempt to challenge Twitter's dominance in the social media sphere. This move comes as rival Instagram also builds a text-only app called Threads.
According to TikTok, the new feature is designed to showcase the "written creativity" that users have displayed in comments, captions, and videos. The text-based posts on TikTok resemble Instagram stories, with the ability to add music or sound, stickers, a location, and the option to duet and repost like videos or photos. The posts appear as text over a colored background, with font options similar to Instagram stories.
This development comes shortly after Meta, the parent company of Instagram, released Threads, which was considered a strong challenger to Twitter. Threads, integrated with Instagram, became the fastest-growing online platform in history, attracting over 100 million users in just five days. However, its daily active users have since declined by nearly 70%, leaving an opportunity for competitors like TikTok to introduce text features and rival Twitter.
TikTok's entrance into the text-based post space is seen as a direct challenge to Twitter, which has faced criticism and user frustration since its acquisition by Elon Musk. Changes made by Musk, such as a temporary limit on the number of posts users can see and a verified account model that requires payment, have led to backlash. Twitter has also experienced major outages, layoffs, and a diminishing valuation under Musk's leadership.
It's worth noting that TikTok itself has faced its own challenges in recent years due to concerns about its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and its links to the Chinese government. While a nationwide ban on the app has been put on hold, many states have banned its use on government devices, and legal battles are ongoing.
In related news, Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, recently unveiled a new logo for the platform as part of his vision to transform it into an all-in-one "everything app" called "X." Musk plans to change the name of "tweets" to simply the letter "X" and operate Twitter using the domain X.com.
Overall, TikTok's introduction of text-based posts adds another layer of competition in the social media landscape, as it aims to challenge Twitter's dominance and capitalize on its large user base of 150 million Americans. However, both TikTok and Twitter face their own challenges and controversies that could impact their future growth and success.