TikTok was the hype of social media. While it isn't as hot anymore, it's still one of the most popular platforms out there.
Reddit is known as the "front page of the internet." It has been around a lot longer than TikTok, but unlike most others, it rarely make headlines because it rarely change. But that doesn't mean it's tone-deaf, or not following any of the current trends.
That is because Reddit has quietly introduced a video feature than can be accessed next to the search bar.
Initially available on Reddit on iOS in the form of a glowing orange button, it features a TikTok-like experience, where users can scroll through a vertical, perpetual list of swipeable videos featuring contents from subreddits.
Interactions include upvoting and downvoting, along with commenting, “awarding”, and sharing.
This feature here is to officially "bring community through video" through a "unified" experience that matches what users expect from usual app-based video players.
This move by Reddit isn't at all shocking.
Reddit started experimenting with livestreams in 2019, and bought TikTok rival Dubsmash in December 2020.
This is why the basic version of this video experience was available before, but only if users tapped on a video.
While that company isn't known to follow the trends like others, it simply wants to keep its social network relevant in an era when video is all-important.
This feature in TikTok may not take the center stage, but for users who are also available on other platforms, having it should be a nice thing to have.
This video feed for Reddit's iOS app should make it easier for users to watch its content in just one place.
It only surface video content subreddits users follow, and also suggest videos from other channels as well.
While TikTok is known for its algorithms, Reddit declined to detail how its algorithm chooses which videos are shown to each user.
TikTok has what others struggle to have.
In the beginning, things were starting to go out of place, and social media became a boring place to be to an increasing number of people. Even Instagram with its overly-hyped Stories feature is beginning to have a bit of struggle to keep the momentum.
TikTok filled the void social media like Vine left after its demise.
But unlike Vine that struggled to get a proper traction, TikTok perfected it.
Instagram followed suit, and with Facebook's help, it aims to dominate the sphere. YouTube has it too, and so does Snapchat.
And this time, Reddit is throwing itself to the arena, by introducing its own version, but rather discretely.
After all, Reddit has been around for more than a decade, discussing the internet's content rather quietly. The main difference is that, this feature targets is younger generations, who are known for their nihilism and lack of attention span.
“Reddit’s mission is to bring community and belonging to everyone in the world, and subsequently, Reddit’s video team’s mission is to bring community through video,” a Reddit spokesperson told said. “Over the course of the last year, our goal was to build a unified video player, and re-envision the player interface to match what users (new and old) expect when it comes to an in-app video player — especially commenting, viewing, engaging, and discovering new content and communities through video.”