TikTok is reportedly testing out a new feature that will add timestamps to certain videos.
According to Motherboard, the feature is being tested out in the Following tab for now, adding a timestamp next to users’ handles. The For You tab, however, is still context-free.
As noted in Wired last week, TikTok’s lack of timestamp allows videos to be, well, timeless, and therefore they can go viral weeks or months later. But that also makes content easier to steal and reappropriate, and “subtly signals to users that it’s not a platform for world events.”
As Motherboard notes, it’s not clear if Wired‘s story influenced TikTok’s decision to experiment with this feature, or if user feedback was part of it. There is a way to add a date and time to a video via TikTok’s effects, but smaller users have been asking for a proper timestamp feature for months.
We’ve reached out to TikTok for comment.
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