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TikTok vs. BeReal: A Comparative Analysis
With an estimated 29.3 million daily active users, BeReal is one of the fastest social media platforms on the market. As its success continues to climb, other platforms are trying to reap the benefits of its growth, particularly by mimicking its key features. Another social media giant, TikTok, is also not afraid to follow in BeReal’s footsteps, launching a new addition to its library of features. Netinfluencer uncovers all of the details surrounding TikTok Now and explores how it compares to BeReal.
What Is TikTok Now?
In September 2022, TikTok announced the launch of its latest venture, TikTok Now. This feature is described as a ‘daily photo and video experience’, encouraging users to share their most authentic selves.
In response to a daily push notification, users will receive a prompt that will remind them to share what they are doing at that exact moment. The feature allows audiences to produce a 10-second video or a static image and then share it with their friendship group.
Why Was the Feature Created?
It goes without saying that the platform launched TikTok Now in order to become more competitive with the ever-growing BeReal. TikTok’s latest tool also invites users to share their most natural moments, helping the platform to push away from the unrealistic expectations that social media can produce.
Aside from the changes in the market, TikTok Now was launched to create a sense of interconnectivity on the platform. Currently, users can interact with each other via direct messages, TikTok LIVE, and duets. By adding another layer of communication, users can share a wealth of interesting content, boosting engagement across the platform.
TikTok Now also pushes users to communicate with their closest friends on the app, helping the platform to create a more communal atmosphere. The tool can be customized to only interact with select individuals, creating a similar environment to platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram.
How to Access TikTok Now
As of September 2022, TikTok Now is still in its beta phase with hopes of a full rollout in the next coming months. Audiences in the US can access TikTok Now through the app itself. When they open the latest version of the app, they will see the TikTok Now button at the bottom of the screen. This tool is also presented as a lightning bolt symbol.
Other regions may be able to access TikTok Now through an entirely separate app. This app will allow users to better customize their push notifications and they will also be able to silence them if necessary. The TikTok Now app is available in a collection of European and Asian countries such as Germany, Bulgaria, and Pakistan and can only be accessed on iOS software.
What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
TikTok Now hosts a variety of eligibility requirements across both the app and the already existing platform. Firstly, if a child under the age of 16 decides to use the TikTok Now app, their account will be set to private by default. Thus, users must be over the age of 16 to experience the feature fully.
On the TikTok platform, users must ensure that their privacy settings are adjusted accordingly to enable them to post content to a wide audience or just to their closest friends. These settings can be adapted in the profile menu of the app.
Are There Safety Features in Place?
Due to the expressive nature of TikTok Now, the platform has enrolled a series of child safety features to keep minors safe online. For example, users under the age of 18 will not be able to share their content on the Explore feed. This lessens the risk of children interacting with other users who they are not familiar with. It also ensures that children do not come across content that potentially has more adult themes.
Those aged between 13-15 will automatically have their commenting options restricted to Friends Only. Again, this is to protect younger audiences from unwanted follow requests or interactions from adults or other children that they do not know.
Adult users also have access to a wide range of safety features. These users can also select who sees their posts such as Friends Only or Everyone. The former refers to those who follow you and you follow back. The latter regards anyone within your geographical area but it should be mentioned that those who do not follow you, cannot interact with your TikTok Now posts.
TikTok Now vs BeReal
The first major difference between TikTok Now and BeReal is the latter’s Discovery feed. BeReal allows users to search through other users’ posts, particularly those who are friends with your friends. This offers an entirely new pool of content to enjoy, whilst TikTok only allows users to interact with their existing friend’s content.
TikTok Now is a single feature within a comprehensive platform, allowing users to delve into a wide range of content creator tools whenever they like. In contrast, BeReal can only be activated by a post, meaning that it only offers a few creative capabilities. TikTok also offers a range of video tools, including Effect House and live streams, making it a fully-functional production app. Its competitor only allows users to post static photos at random points of the day.
BeReal also hosts a selection of nuanced emojis known as RealMojis. These icons are mainly used to react to a friend’s post but can also be customized to add real-life images. Although it may seem like a simple addition, these icons can help add another layer of creativity and entertainment to the platform.
Finally, users on BeReal cannot monetize their content. The original developers state that this app is not meant to be used to build an audience or earn money. However, TikTok offers a vast assortment of monetization features that can help influencers build a collection of prosperous revenue streams. Therefore, BeReal is unable to create a creator economy of any kind.
As the battle between TikTok and BeReal continues, other social media platforms are looking to mimic their success. Thus, the influencer marketing industry will continue to transform in response to these ever-changing platforms. To discover more about boosting engagement on TikTok, visit our website.
