TikTok is reportedly adding a new “Repost” button, allowing some users to re-share clips in their ‘Following’ and ‘For You’ feeds.
According to Twitter user Kev Adriano, some TikTok users are already seeing a new “Repost“ option that allows them to share other users’ TikToks on their feeds.
The feature works much as it does on other social platforms, allowing users to re-share a clip with their followers and write a personal comment along with the content.
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Though the test hasn’t been officially announced yet, some users can already see a new “repost” icon within their “send to” sharing options, and use it to amplify the reach of the video in either the “Following” and “For You” feeds.
Interestingly, the new feature is also one that Twitter and WhatsApp removed in 2020, in the wake of US elections – and amidst the development of the pandemic with the intent to reduce the spread of misinformation.
As the removal of this option has proved to have an impact on the reduction of the spread of misinformation, adding the feature on another platform could provide new grounds for recreating the same scenario seen in the recent past – when dangerous misinformation related to the origin, spread and cure of the virus at times led to threats to public health.
However, content on TikTok is not typically focused on such topics, so the impact of the new repost button could potentially be minimal in this respect. On the other hand, the effect of the new feature on engagement will drive new content strategies by creators.