Is TikTok the new queen bee of social media? It seems that even Twitter could not resist copying TikTokTwitter’s latest feature announcement seems to be another indication that the viral video app sensation is clearly the new leader among its peers. After all, TikTok is setting trends and its competitors are following suit.
On Thursday, Twitter announced two new video-focused features for its app, and one of those features bears a strong resemblance to TikTok. That feature (known as the “immersive media viewer”) allows users to open videos in a vertical “full-screen mode,” just like TikTok, and continue watching more videos by swiping up (also like TikTok).
Twitter’s blog post announcement said the immersive media viewer feature is expected to be “available in the coming days” to Twitter for iOS users who use Twitter in English.
The second new video-focused feature Twitter announced is a new video carousel that can be found in the Explore tab. Basically, it’s a section called “Videos for you” that shows a number of popular videos you might want to watch. This feature is now available to “people in select countries who use Twitter in English on iOS and Android.”
Twitter isn’t the first social media platform to copy TikTok. Instagram is well known for trying to do so, only to be met with a huge backlash. Facebook has also tried to catch up to TikTok’s success with its own take on video content, Facebook Reels. And YouTube is trying its best to get its creators to start making their short-form video content for YouTube with its own version of TikTok videos called Shorts.
You'd think Twitter would learn from Instagram's mistakes. Especially since some of the backlash against Instagram's TikTok-inspired changes found a home on the bird app itself, as those who wanted to complain about the changes took to Twitter to do so.
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