DMs and voice messages in Tiktok

TikTok is expanding the scope of private communication. In the future, people will be able to send each other pictures in direct messages (DMs), and voice messages will also be possible. This allows people to leave the app even less.

The new communication options on TikTok include the ability to send photos to each other in DMs and group chats. Previously, only text and TikTok videos were possible. According to TechCrunch, however, this is limited to nine images or videos. There are now also voice messages. They are initially limited to 60 seconds. This limit is likely to be exceeded many times over in other messengers. It is unclear whether TikTok will extend this. The new functions should be available in the coming weeks, and some of them already are.

In the privacy settings, you can control who can and cannot send you direct messages. Parents can also completely deactivate this function for their children in supervised mode.

Social media as a communication platform

Like other platforms, TikTok tries to keep people within the service as much as possible. This also includes its sales ambitions. With TikTok Shops, for example, users should be able to buy products directly via the app without having to go through the browser or another service. Meta has also announced such plans. AI is to help with shopping within the apps and find products online, for example. Apparently, the company is currently focusing more on the development of AI itself than on AI shopping functions.

Meta has already opened up further communication channels for Instagram and WhatsApp. Channels can be used by influencers for one-way communication, for example. WhatsApp has communities, which in turn can be subdivided into individual conversations, as well as official channels operated by companies, for example. The innovations on TikTok do not go that far yet. The focus here is apparently still on private communication.

(emw)