TikTok has announced that it will be launching a new feature called TikTok Now. TTN will alert users at a random time of day and encourage them to post content taken from the real-life situation they are currently in. The idea, of course, is that it allows your followers to get a deeper insight into your actual life, as opposed to the manufactured scenes that are often posted.
Hmm, does that sound familiar? It should. It is basically an exact copy of the latest social networking app BeReal which is currently surging in popularity. If you haven’t heard of BeReal, you can learn more about how it works here.
Firstly, how exactly does TikTok Now work?
“Making possible deeper connections and entertainment in a fun format, TikTok Now invites you and your friends to capture what you're doing in the moment using your device's front and back camera. You'll receive a daily prompt to capture a 10-second video or a static photo to easily share what you're up to.”
As explained by TikTok Newsroom.
“We're experimenting with TikTok Now over the coming weeks. In the US, TikTok Now can be accessed from the TikTok app. In other regions, TikTok Now may be available as a new TikTok Now app, too. We'll continue to enhance the user experience as we learn more about how the TikTok community embraces this new creative format.”
It is nothing out of the ordinary for social media platforms to copy each other. If anything, TikTok was kind of overdue after all the effort Meta has put in over the past few months to replicate their platform and engagement strategy.
The interesting thing about TikTok copying BeReal so closely (seriously, almost identical) is that the idea of the app has always been centred around entertainment as a primary function with human connection very secondary on the priority list.
This seems like a big tip of the cap from TikTok to the surging BeReal from one disruptor to the other, acknowledging that the new ‘realistic’ style of social media has a place in the growth strategy of TikTok, which has been absolutely humming over the past few years.
In saying that, does BeReal need to be worried? After all, it’s not only TikTok who are circling them. Instagram and Snapchat have already copied a couple of BeReal’s key features and have openly discussed imitating the promoted daily post feature that makes BeReal unique.
It is hard to say how these things will be accepted by the public. We have seen the bigger platform come in, steal an idea from a competitor and completely take over the space (think Instagram Stories vs Snapchat). On the flip side, we have also seen the big player move in to claim a space with little success and even receive backlash, as has been the case that has been closely followed by us between Meta and TikTok.
The main consideration is platform loyalty and the general willingness of people to switch between so many apps. As we see the popularity of one rise, we often see a similar downward trend in another. So the question begs, does TikTok have enough loyalty from existing followers to steal back any interest from those moving over to BeReal, or are people willing to add another platform to their daily app rotation?
Only time will tell. We will sure to keep our finger on the pulse to update you on who has landed where when the dust starts to settle.
