What’s this now? An update that doesn’t talk about vertical video and related elements? We’re honestly genuinely surprised. When TikTok blew up, it changed the Social Media landscape forever, setting a new standard for engagement and entertainment. It’s no small feat when you realize that a small app released back in 2016 would define what modern Social Media is in just 6 years. Astonishing.
TikTok continues to turn the tables on its competitors, who, ironically, have been pushing to copy its key features, with its own copycat tools and options designed to maximize in-app engagement. Ah, playing the old switcheroo card, well-played TikTok.
Switching the Game Up
TikTok’s latest experiment is a YouTube-style horizontal full-screen display option, providing a whole new way to view TikTok clips. Check out this preview. It kind of looks familiar, doesn’t it? That’s because while it might be new on TikTok, we have to remember that the horizontal orientation of video is where it all started.
Back to the topic at hand, some users are now seeing a new ‘Full Screen’ button displayed on screen in some clips, which prompts them to turn their device to the side to see the full-width display.
This could provide a whole new set of considerations for creators. Horizontal videos, combined with 10-minute uploads, would lead to a heap of ways in which this new format could be used within your TikTok content strategy to boost engagement and interest. As noted, it’s also another element in TikTok’s push to combat ongoing replications of its key elements. These strategies have included: Still Image Carousel Posts, Longer Video Uploads, and ‘TikTok Now’.
Clearly, TikTok’s looking to diversify its offering as it seeks to maximize its opportunities, which also means that it’s going to join the whole trend that it technically started – feature replication. Then again, competition has led to such since time immemorial. Sadly, like it or not, replication does work. A lot of Instagram users simply haven’t downloaded TikTok because Reels exist, while the insane view counts of TikTok compilation videos on YouTube also suggest that many people prefer watching that content instead, essentially barring TikTok.
The Wrap
Other big players, Meta and Google, have also continued to report the rising popularity of Reels and Shorts respectively, further underlining the fact that replication, aka copying, while it may seem a bit scummy, is an effective product development tactic. Well, as they say, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” – TikTok seems to be playing the reverse UNO card, with this new display format potentially opening up all new opportunities and content options for those eyeing TikTok in 2023.
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