About the upcoming change on the TikTok side. The Chinese social network is currently testing a new broadcast in Southeast Asia called “Nearby”, indicates TechCrunch, confirming the information initially transmitted by the social media consultant Matt Navarra. Its objective? Highlight local content for users, from creators close to home, but also let them find interesting events and places in the surrounding area.
TikTok currently offers two different video channels: “For You,” which offers a mix of suggestions and content from accounts already followed, and “Subscription,” which focuses on videos from people followed by the user. For Internet users participating in this time-limited test, the new “Nearby” tab is displayed alongside the first two mentioned on the Chinese app’s home page.
Snapchat and Instagram are already betting on proximity
The experiment comes as TikTok is gradually rolling out an option that allows content creators to add a location “tag” to their videos. With these two novelties it seems evident that the social network seeks to exploit the potential of a “local” algorithm.
Launching this feature would allow the app to catch up with Snapchat and its adjust map as well as at the top the search map recently launched by Instagram. These two offers already allow users to find local content and discover nearby places. Thus, TikTok’s “Near” category would offer a similar experience, but would be associated with the app’s already proven recommendation algorithm.
According to TechCrunch, the localized feed leverages algorithmic analysis of user interests. So, if your “For You” feed regularly shows content on the topic of eating out or hiking, the “Nearby” channel should suggest videos of restaurants and hiking trails near your location.
“We are always thinking of new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience,” a spokesperson for the platform told TechCrunch in an email.
Source: BFM TV
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