TikTok is brewing up something new. Word around the street is that TikTok is testing a new avatar feature that enables users to create digital representations of themselves based on selfies, complete with facial expressions to match their actual looks. Personalized avatars have always been well-received, so now that the most popular app of 2021 is giving them a go, we should expect yet another blow-up of user avatars in the coming months.
Time For A Selfie
When social media expert Matt Navarra shared an example of how TikTok’s new avatar feature would work, he said that users would be able to choose facial templates that could be edited in the app. This would allow them to choose from a variety of options so that their avatars looked more like them in real life.
The creation process is similar to how you would make Apple ‘Memojis’, which later allows you to use your chosen Memoji character to be used as a sort of ‘virtual puppet’. The unique thing about Memojis is that they respond to your actions when looking at the camera.
TikTok’s avatars follow a similar model, providing everybody with new ways to engage within the app while also allowing TikTok to be more aligned with the incoming Metaverse shift. Suppose TikTok can help us build more accurate depictions and representations of ourselves. In that case, users might be compelled to want to take these characters to other platforms, which is something that the Metaverse supposedly wants to pull off. While there are no actual schema requirements for Metaverse avatars just yet, if things go well, this at least better aligns TikTok with the growing trend, allowing for more ways for users to build an identity within the app.
Adding to video avatars, TikTok is also working on a new group chats option, a new process for screen-sharing within live streams and it’s coming creator subscriptions. Reports indicate that TikTok began developing its set of paid subscription tools last week, just when Instagram had successfully launched initial testing for its ‘Fan Subscriptions’ feature.
Furthermore, TikTok is also looking to improve its safety and security by adding keyword filters, enabling users to censor content that would include terms they personally selected in either clip descriptions or applied stickers. It’s also worth mentioning that TikTok is supposedly experimenting with audio-only live streams, looking to directly compete with Twitter Spaces and Clubhouse once it fully develops all the needed assets.
The Wrap
To note, none of these features have yet to make it to live-testing, so they’re all primarily still considered experimental. They may make it or they may not, TikTok hasn’t released further information on these tests so we will all have to wait and see. Hopefully, all of these go live, especially considering how many fronts TikTok chooses to develop. So far, what we have from TikTok is this latest statement:
“We’re always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience. Currently, we’re experimenting with ways to give creators tools to express themselves on TikTok.”
TikTok had always been more on the side of ‘authentic user identity, which is rare compared to its closest competitors, making this a big opportunity for TikTok to fully dominate the social space. If successful, then these new features bring TikTok that much closer to being a full-fledged, multi-medium social network.
Subscribe to our ‘Bottoms Up!’ Newsletter. Get the latest social media blogs about news, updates, trends, and effective social media strategies to take your business to the highest level from Tristan Ahumada and Jeff Pfitzer.
Sources