A few weeks ago, Twitter announced that will start rolling out video suggestions in a vertically scrolling, TikTok-like format surface on the web. Now, the micro-blogging app has started showcasing the new video layout feature to users on mobile as well. The new change is a step up for video clips on the platform, which previously were only a part of tweets.
The videos will be visible under a new Suggested Videos tab, where clips based on likes and interests will be laid out in a horizontally scrolling tab. Users can click on any video they wish to watch on Twitter, following which a vertically scrolling feed will kick into action, similar to what most people have already experienced on apps like TikTok and Instagram.
The new video tab will come to users who have set their language to English first, and other language users will likely need to wait some more time for the video bar to show up.
But in Twitter’s case, the app doesn’t always show the most relevant video next and the algorithm will certainly need some tweaking. A report by The Verge also suggests Twitter could soon have a dedicated Videos tab where the media could be separated from text-based tweets. However, note that this is not something that Twitter has officially confirmed.
Still, it is not surprising to see that another platform is prioritising the short video format in our feeds, given that the formula has worked so well for TikTok, Instagram and others. But it does raise questions about the product experience as well, especially for Twitter. After all, the platform is known more for people posting their opinions, rather than their short videos.
While the fullscreen video trend has finally come to Twitter, it doesn’t seem like the app will make videos its main focus moving forward like Instagram, well at least, for now.
Keep in mind that Twitter’s potential new owner Elon Musk has talked about building a super app called X and also how apps like TikTok are so good at engagement. We don’t know what Musk has in store for the platform, should he finally buy it, but video could be a big part of the plans as well. Meanwhile, Musk said that he will be improving the micro-blogging platform’s engagement, as well as reducing a large part of Twitter’s workforce.
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