TikTok rivals Twitter with new text format – 07/24/2023 – Tech

The social network TikTok, known for its video content, announced this Monday (24) that it will offer a new format with only text posts, becoming the latest technological giant to offer an alternative to the troubled Twitter.

Text publications on TikTok will be more like what is offered by Instagram, which also launched, earlier this month, a platform to compete with Twitter called Threads.

Like the platform recently launched by Meta, TikTok benefits from its size, with around 1.4 billion monthly active users, according to the specialized website Business of Apps.

On the other hand, TikTok preferred to integrate its exclusive text format within the app itself, instead of doing like Meta and launching a separate product, as happens with the duo Threads and Instagram.

Additionally, the TikTok version will be more visual than a Twitter or Threads post, and users will be able to add a colorful background, music and ‘stickers’ to their posts.

The Chinese social network reported that the new format will expand “the boundaries of content creation for everyone on TikTok” and take advantage of the “creativity” seen in comments and descriptions.

In addition to Threads, smaller platforms like Mastodon, Bluesky and Substack Notes have emerged as potential rivals to Twitter (now renamed X by Elon Musk), but none have managed to dethrone it despite their problems.

Last week, Musk reported that Twitter lost nearly half of its advertising revenue, opening up an opportunity for competitors.