TikTok, the short-form video platform that has taken the world by storm, is looking to expand its reach beyond just entertaining video content. Recently, the company has posted several job openings that signal its intention to improve and enhance its messaging services. While TikTok may not be the first choice for family and friends catch-ups, it seems the platform is eager to change that perception and become a more versatile social media hub.
The job listings on TikTok’s careers page reveal a clear focus on strengthening its messaging capabilities. Despite acknowledging that the messaging feature is still in its “infancy,” TikTok is committed to evolving it into a tool that can “facilitate meaningful user connections.”
Currently, TikTok’s messaging service isn’t as user-friendly as some of its competitors, but the company appears poised to address these shortcomings.
To send a direct message on TikTok, users must navigate through a somewhat convoluted process. They need to click on the recipient’s profile and then select a relatively small, unannotated image of a paper plane. Alternatively, users can access direct messages through the Inbox tab at the bottom of the app, which can be cluttered with new follower requests and activity updates from those they are following.
However, the recent job postings strongly suggest that TikTok is planning significant improvements to its messaging feature. One of the most noteworthy roles being advertised is that of a product manager based in Singapore, who will be a vital part of the growing messaging team.
This individual will collaborate with various stakeholders, including those in policy, legal, trust and safety, human moderation, and more, to drive improvements in the messaging experience.
In addition to the product manager role, TikTok is also recruiting for other positions within the messaging team, such as engineering leads, back-end tech leads, and software engineers. These hires will collectively work toward enhancing TikTok’s messaging capabilities, signalling the company’s commitment to making this aspect of the platform more intuitive and user-friendly.
TikTok’s focus on messaging isn’t just about improving the user experience; it also includes a commitment to safety and privacy. The job postings emphasize the importance of ensuring that parents who are not on the platform can oversee and monitor their children’s interactions on TikTok. This focus on child safety is a response to the heightened scrutiny that TikTok has faced from governments and regulators around the world, with some countries even considering banning the app.
TikTok’s emergence as a disruptive force in the social media landscape has been nothing short of remarkable. While platforms owned by Meta (formerly Facebook) had long dominated the social media sector, TikTok quickly emerged as a serious contender.
With over a billion users today, TikTok’s meteoric rise saw it being downloaded a staggering 850 million times in 2020 alone. This surge prompted rival platforms to roll out updates and new features in an attempt to compete.
For instance, Instagram launched Reels, a feature that allowed users to post 15-second videos, in the same year that TikTok’s popularity skyrocketed. TikTok, on the other hand, allowed videos to range from 15 seconds to three minutes, with the option for clips up to 10 minutes if uploaded to the platform. In response, Meta launched Reels on Facebook in the U.S. in 2021, and they also introduced a bonus program to pay creators for their content.
TikTok’s approach to rewarding its influencers is distinctive. The platform employs an ad-revenue-sharing system and provides additional features like virtual gifts and a Creator Fund that compensates users based on follower and view counts. This approach has contributed to TikTok’s allure as a platform where creators can thrive and be rewarded for their content.
