YouTube has today announced Shorts, an app that is very like TikTok and which is seen as its main competitor. The app is only available in India for the time being in Beta but with it being planned to other markets soon.
From what we are able to see from the Official Youtube App, Shorts, just like Tiktok has a homepage section dedicated to uploading short videos such as music, multiple videos, and other functions including the ability to change the speed of videos and a countdown for recording.
Given YouTube is the biggest video platform on earth until now, this will be a big App should the idea take off with users. The idea of creating short videos is something that many youth love and YouTube is banking on the success of TikTok to create an even bigger short video platform.
TikTok
Tiktok remains one of the fastest-growing social media platform, taking the internet by storm and forcing governments around the world to seek its control. India, where Shorts is set to take off, banned Tiktok within its boundaries, while in the US, President Trump has asked Tiktok to sell its operations in the country, or risk being banned. The fear of its growing presence is seen security threat and being a Chinese App, most governments are concerned about it being a spy App.
With all these restrictions, TikTok faces a bleak future, as more governments seek to ban it, while more companies are launching more Apps that are direct competitors. Recently, we saw Instagram, owned by Facebook, launch Reels that is very similar to Tiktok. And to boost its presence, the App was incorporated in Instagram official App, allowing the user to see videos from users you do not follow.
Shorts Challenges
With TikTok’s presence, it will be difficult to have people onboard Shorts. For starters, most people go to YouTube to watch and not to create videos. It seems it is only creators of content on YouTube that will easily tryout Shorts and possibly sign up.
As the App is continually rolled up in other countries, we will be the first to sign up and bring you what the experience is like.
