TikTok, the popular social media app known for its short-form videos, has introduced a significant change to its platform by allowing users to create text-only posts. This move comes as the company aims to expand its content options and compete with other text-based social media apps like Meta’s Facebook, Threads, X (formerly Twitter) and every other social media platform to ever exist. The announcement was made in a blog post on Monday night, although some users reported having access to the feature as early as June.

The company expressed its excitement about the new feature, stating that it aims to empower creators and the TikTok community with innovative tools that inspire self-expression. By introducing text posts, TikTok seeks to provide a dedicated space for written creativity that has been evident in comments, captions, and videos on the platform.

Prior to this update, TikTok users could add text over video and image posts, as well as in captions and comments. However, some users resorted to creating text-only posts by sharing screenshots of text-focused content from other social media apps and text message conversations. With the official introduction of text posts, users now have a seamless and native way to create and share text-based content.

The new format allows users to customize their text posts similarly to how they can personalize their video and photo posts. Users can add music, background colors, stickers, and even tag other users and include hashtags. The character limit for text posts is set at 1,000 characters, offering creators ample space to express their ideas.

TikTok’s journey to popularity was largely based on its visual and audio-focused content, particularly short videos of people dancing and performing skits. The platform boasts over one billion monthly users globally, with 150 million users in the United States alone. However, TikTok’s ownership by the Chinese company ByteDance has raised concerns about security, leading some national governments to restrict access to the app.

The addition of text posts to TikTok comes amidst other major changes in the social media industry. Twitter recently rebranded itself as “X” under Elon Musk’s leadership, and Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, introduced Threads as a competitor to Twitter‘s microblogging dominance. While Threads gained over 100 million users in a short period, the long-term success of these platforms remains to be seen.

With TikTok’s new text post feature, the app is exploring new avenues for user engagement and content creation. By expanding its offerings, TikTok hopes to remain a relevant and dynamic player in the ever-evolving social media landscape. As the platform continues to grow and adapt, it will be interesting to see how users embrace text-based content and how it impacts the overall TikTok experience. Creators now have a new canvas to share their stories, recipes, poems, and other written content, providing an exciting opportunity for diverse expression within the TikTok community.