With a distinct feel of déjà-vu, comes the next twitter killer or rather x killer thriller. It is definitely an upgrade for TikTok to add more creative features. As a Twitter competitor, however, it may not stand a better chance than Threads due to absence of chronological search. Screen-time and attention are users’ currency, it is a non-fungible and limited one. Spend it wisely.
https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/text-posts
Text allows creators to share their stories, poems, recipes, and other written content on TikTok – giving creators another way to express themselves and making it even easier to create.
Creating a Text Post: When you access the Camera page, you’ll be able to choose from three options: photo, video, and text. By selecting text, you’ll be directed to the text creation page, where you can type out the content of your post.
Enhancing Your Text Posts: Upon reaching the Post page, you’ll find familiar options to customize your content. These include adding Sound, tagging a location, enabling comments, and allowing Duets, among others. These features make it so your text posts are just as dynamic and interactive as any video or photo post.
Features to try in text
- Stickers: Enhance your text by selecting stickers that relate to your content and add some pizazz to your post.
- Tags and Hashtags: Just like in video or photo posts, you can tag other accounts, as well as add hashtags that relate to relevant topics or trends.
- Background colors: Choose from a variety of background colors to make your text pop.
- Adding Sound: You’ll be able to add tunes that readers can groove to as they peruse your writing.
- Draft and Discard: Similar to video or photo posts, you can save your drafts and store them with other unpublished posts for later editing or discard them entirely.
Although I am really excited about these new features and look forward to trying them out, my relation to the TikTok algorithm remains ambiguous. I can identify it’s addictive quality, but I thought I had it in check, since I have intentionally reduced my mobile screen-time to a minimum and my mobile devices are programmed to shut down after I exceed my daily minutes. Also, I uninstall the app after each use and clear the cache. In spite of all the safeguards, I have found myself wanting to act out of character while on TikTok, for example the idea of spontaneously posting a 5 minute real time video is not something I am known for, but the algorithm tricked me into wanting to do it. I uploaded and deleted the video 3 times until I realized that the unusual desire to overshare is a sign of addiction, as oversharing is a clear form of self-harm. Then I felt really weird for the rest of the day and ashamed to be an addict. Luckily, once the app and its cache are removed, and notifications turned off, it is easy to forget about TikTok, even if you don’t delete your account. This is one example of many where I observed a sudden irresistible desire to act that arises from a combination of instant and reinforced euphoria of engagement and algorithmic pressures making you feel miserable unless you do something against your best interest.
Therefore, due to the above, I will limit even further my TikTok habits (won’t use it unless for work) and will make sure to have a neutral person physically present with me while I’m on the app. I haven’t yet found an Algorithm Addicts Anonymous support group in my area.
As for Twitter’s attempt at a name change, the name Twitter will remain and continue to be used as it is recognized by billions of users. X is not. For example, how will you rename tweets? The distinctiveness and goodwill of the Twitter name and logo are settled in the hearts and minds of users, as they were built over a decade. A name as widely adopted is difficult to challenge, unless there is a sweeping rebrand.