TikTok is launching a set of tools that will allow creators to more easily credit the original creators behind viral trends on the social media platform, the company said on Wednesday.
The tools, which will roll out over the coming weeks, will allow TikTok creators to directly tag and credit the original videos and creators who originated a trend on their own iterations of the video. The credited video will then appear as a mention in the caption of the newly uploaded TikTok video, allowing viewers to click through to view the tagged video.
As part of the rollout, TikTok is also adding more user prompts to encourage those uploading videos to credit to the creators and original videos that may have served as inspiration for the new work.
The long-awaited crediting tools come after BIPOC TikTok creators have spoken out for years about not receiving proper credit for being the creators of viral dances, trends and sounds on the app. Last summer, Black TikTok creators even staged a virtual “strike” to call attention to the matter by refusing to create dances to a song that was poised to be the next viral hit on TikTok.
“These features are an important step in our ongoing commitment to investing in resources and product experiences that support a culture of credit, which is central to ensuring TikTok remains a home for creative expression,” Kudzi Chikumbu, TikTok’s director of the creator community, wrote in a blog post announcing the new tools. “It’s important to see a culture of credit take shape across the digital landscape and to support underrepresented creators in being properly credited and celebrated for their work. We’re eager to see how these new creator crediting tools inspire more creativity and encourage trend attribution across the global TikTok community.”
