TikTok is making another move into Instagram’s territory with a new app called TikTok Notes. Multiple users have been receiving notifications about the upcoming launch of “a new app for photo posts.”
The notification indicates that existing and future public photo posts from TikTok will be “shown on TikTok Notes,” although users will have the option to opt out. Additionally, a since-archived webpage hinted at the app’s functionality, including the ability to add captions alongside photos.
While a release date hasn’t been announced, a spokesperson for TikTok confirmed to TechCrunch that they’re ” exploring ways to empower our community to create and share their creativity with photos and text in a dedicated space for those formats.”
How TikTok and Instagram have “borrowed” from each other
The rivalry between TikTok and Instagram goes beyond just content creation. Throughout the years, both platforms have borrowed features from each other in a continuous game of one-upmanship. As we all remember, Instagram introduced Reels a few years ago, a short-form video feature blatantly inspired by TikTok’s core functionality. Meta later added them to Facebook, too. TikTok’s popular Duet and Stitch features found their way to Instagram’s Reels in a similar form.
Then, live streaming became a battleground, and both platforms started offering users the ability to broadcast live content. In an effort to capitalize on the creator economy, Instagram started paying creators to post original content to the platform. TikTok struck back with the offer to share ad revenue with its creators.
These were only some examples; there are plenty of instances where social media giants copied features from each other in an attempt to stay relevant and interesting to the masses. There’s no dedicated app for photos (like Instagram used to be) or long-form videos like YouTube once was. Every app does everything now, and I honestly find it kind of annoying. I feel like this bubble is about to burst, and I’ll just sit back and wait for the kaboom.
[via The Verge]
