The developers’ creative ideas are always producing and launching amazing outcomes for their applications. The media and entertainment industries do not fail to provide their purpose. Many people are interested because the modern era incorporated the power of websites in the media industry. Presenting and introducing yourself or your business is easier using social media platforms. It helps people connect and recognize. The acknowledgment received was enough to make social media sites burst into popularity.
Additionally, viewers’ changes in their preferences regarding the entertainment industry have caused some shifts in the system. Online platforms defeated the traditional industry and television. With the advancement in technology, social media sites also keep on improving. Through developers who produce brilliant and outstanding ideas, new features and new social media sites are born.
Competition: The TikTok Clone
For social media sites that have been around for so long, it is essential to keep along with the latest trends. By doing so, they are not losing popularity against newly launched sites that offers similar features.
This is the case that Youtube faces today. With TikTok gaining popularity, Youtube is concerned about the future of its website. Naturally, their team tried finding ways on how to keep their website relevant despite facing competition. Interestingly, the route they have chosen is to face Tiktok head-on in what it does best.
Youtube Shorts, a Youtube feature that showcases quick and short videos for instant entertainment. That is what the Youtube team has come up with. It started its Beta phase in the US in March of this year.
Understanding the Similarities and Differences of the Two Social Media Site
Youtube
Owned by Google, YouTube is part of the most famous and widely known online video-sharing service that entertains millions of people. It has not stopped working its revolution. It keeps on creating more according to its desire to market and engage more audiences.
YouTube is a video-sharing giant with the slogan “Broadcast Yourself.” It is a platform that is not exclusive to already successful show/film producers and directors. Instead, ordinary people are encouraged to be part of the YouTube community.
Perhaps this openness is what made Youtube very popular. As ordinary people are welcome to upload and publish their videos, YouTube became a starting point for dreamers. By uploading their videos, people can showcase their talents and hobbies. Youtube also allowed them to share their passion with other people. Through this, they were able to connect with like-minded individuals and engage in conversations with different people.
Moreover, the trust that YouTube is receiving nowadays made some of its creators change their primary source of income. They decided that making and uploading videos on Youtube is their job. YouTube made a lot of people aim higher and achieve more.
TikTok
TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, is a newcomer to the social media field that has been steadily gaining more attention. Like Youtube, TikTok is a video-sharing social media network where anyone can be a content creator. It is a social app that uses filters, sounds, text, and music to create short-form videos.
Even though the videos found on TikTok are short, the site is not short of features that it can boast against its rivals. Certain tools are found only on TikTok. These tools can be used by their users to improve creativity while also enhancing interactivity.
Youtube Shorts
TikTok’s success has shown Youtube that there is a large audience for short-form videos. That information led them to decide that they should have a go at it and incorporate that feature to improve their site.
For starters, they acknowledged that some content creators struggle to produce videos that last longer than 10 minutes. Youtube Shorts will serve as an avenue for them to express their creativity in a format where they are more comfortable. They expect the feature to bring more creators and users into their community.
Existing users can also benefit from Youtube Shorts. They can use the platform to gain more subscribers. Users who would subscribe to their short-form videos will automatically be subscribed to their long-form videos.
Youtube Copies TikTok with YouTube Shorts
Youtube admits that compared to TikTok, which dominates the field, Shorts still lack some features. Especially since Shorts is still in the Beta phase, it does not have the collaborative features TikTok provides. But there are plans laid out for the growth of Youtube Shorts. These plans are about how Youtube Shorts can be merged with Youtube’s broader ecosystem – something TikTok does not have.
For example, creators will be able to create shorts using licensed songs. Licensing songs can do that at launch. When developments have progressed, creators will be able to remix music from any video that is on Youtube. This allows for a bigger room for authentic creativity, especially when combined with buying real YouTube views for the engagement rates. There will also be a link to bring the viewers to the original music video should they be interested. Music creators can even opt out of this feature if they do not want their creations to be used by other people.
The biggest concern of the content creators, perhaps, is how monetization would work in Youtube Shorts. Youtube did not release a concrete plan yet. However, Todd Sherman – YouTube’s product lead for Shorts, has released a statement. He said that we have come to a point where everyone sees Youtube as a platform supporting creators. Support in this context does not only pertain to encouragement but also financial support. Thus, they are considering the idea. Their current line of thought is that there is a different business model for different things. Movies work differently from TV. Likewise, long-form Youtube works differently from television. Following that logic, Shorts will work differently from long-form Youtube. These statements hint that the monetization mechanics for shorts will be different from the mechanics of the Youtube Partner Program.
Takeaway
TikTok thrives in the field of short-term videos. Other sites have tried to copy them, like Instagram Reels and Snapchat Spotlight. Unfortunately, both have proven that it is not an easy task to do. However, it did not discourage Youtube from launching Youtube Shorts. The video-sharing site is confident that the sheer size of Youtube will compensate for what Shorts would be lacking. The larger community and wider resource pool are what Youtube would use to take on the challenge. Anyway, Youtube Shorts is another form of content creation we can look forward to.
Date: April 22, 2021 / Categories: View Tactics, / Author: Joy P
