TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users. One unique aspect of TikTok is the “tap to view” feature for posts. Unlike other platforms where scrolling immediately loads all content, TikTok requires users to tap on each individual post to view it.
This small change in user experience has sparked curiosity, debates, and many questions around why TikTok decided to implement such a feature. In this article, we’ll explore the history of tap to view, the reasons behind its existence, the pros and cons, and what the future may hold for this polarizing mechanic.
History of the Tap-to-View Model
The tap-to-view model was popularized on social media by platforms like Vine, Instagram Stories, and Snapchat starting around 2013-2016. These platforms introduced the ephemeral “stories” format, where posts disappear after 24 hours. To view a story, users had to tap on it. TikTok adapted this model when it launched in 2016.
This tap-to-view mechanic has origins in the broader trend of “contactless payments” – using a tap or wave instead of physically touching buttons. According to Investopedia, contactless card payments emerged in the early 2000s, allowing customers to pay by tapping cards instead of inserting them. The tap triggers a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip to communicate with the payment terminal.
Social media likely adapted this contactless, tap-to-engage model for its stories and posts. Tapping is a frictionless way to preview content before committing to viewing the full post. Overall, the tap-to-view mechanic has roots in contactless payment systems and was widely popularized on social media by Snapchat, Instagram, Vine and later TikTok.
Creates Curiosity and Engagement
The tap-to-view model creates a feeling of curiosity and exclusivity for users. By requiring users to tap to view a video, it presents the content as something special or secret that must be unlocked. This gives users a sense that they are accessing privileged content.
TikTok videos that require tapping to view tend to see higher engagement as users are drawn in by the psychology of wanting to uncover what is hidden behind the tap. It creates a feeling of satisfaction when tapping unveils the full video. This sense of discovery keeps users engaged and scrolling for longer as they seek out more tap-to-view videos.
Research has shown tap-to-view results in higher completion rates for ads compared to instant play videos. Tapping gives the user control over initiating the video view, rather than it automatically playing as they scroll. This control and choice increases their engagement.
Drives Up View Counts
One of the biggest impacts of the tap-to-view model is that it can drive up view counts on videos. Even accidental taps or taps just to read the text overlay count as video views. Each view requires the user to manually tap on the video, rather than just scrolling past and having it autoplay. This means the view metrics end up inflated compared to other platforms like YouTube or Instagram, where views only count if a substantial portion of the video is watched.
Some creators have noticed their view counts skyrocket after switching to the tap-to-view format, likely due to accidental taps while scrolling. While it may make the video seem more popular at a glance, the high view count doesn’t necessarily mean more people are intentionally watching the full video. Still, the inflated view metrics can benefit creators by making them seem more successful and popular.
Enhances Ad Revenue
The tap-to-view model directly enhances ad revenue for TikTok. With this model, users have to tap on a video to watch it, which increases overall video views. More views directly translate to more money from advertisers who pay for video ads and sponsorships based on impressions and completed views.
According to TikTok’s analysis, combining click-through attribution and view-through attribution models accelerates campaign learning and performance by 113% (source). With more ad views comes greater opportunities for clicks, conversions, and sales.
The tap-to-view format incentivizes more intentional watching since users have to make an effort to start viewing a video. This leads to higher view completion rates and more ad revenue for TikTok. Essentially, the platform makes money when users watch more videos, and the tap-to-view model facilitates that behavior.
Filters Out Bots and Spammers
Requiring a tap adds friction that filters out low-quality automated views. Bots and spam accounts often aim to artificially inflate view counts by autoplaying videos without any actual person watching. With the tap-to-view model, these fake views get filtered out since the video won’t play unless a real user taps on it. This helps ensure view counts better reflect authentic engagement.
As one Reddit user explained, “TikTok don’t currently have a strategy to deal with bots that’s why the majority of activity you see is bot related.” [1] The tap-to-view requirement adds a layer of friction that helps filter out this type of inauthentic bot activity.
Requiring a manual tap also makes it harder for spammers to repeatedly play videos with shady links or content. Overall, the tap-to-view model helps improve the quality of activity and engagement on the platform.
Provides Better Recommendations
One of the main benefits of TikTok’s tap-to-view model is that it allows the platform to provide users with better video recommendations that are more tailored to their interests. TikTok’s recommendation algorithm analyzes a variety of factors to determine which videos to show users on their For You feed, including their interactions with content. By requiring a tap to start viewing a video, TikTok can gain additional insight into user intentions and preferences to improve its recommendations.
As explained in TikTok’s own support article, some of the key signals TikTok’s recommendation system looks at are the videos you watch all the way through, like, share or comment on. Requiring a tap in order to play a video allows TikTok to distinguish between videos users intentionally clicked on versus those that auto-played as they scrolled by. This extra interaction data helps TikTok refine its understanding of each user’s interests.
TikTok can then serve users videos that more precisely match their tastes and keep them engaged longer. By improving recommendations, tap-to-view assists TikTok in achieving its goal of showing each user a For You feed that feels personalized just for them.
Gives Users More Control
The tap-to-view feature gives TikTok users more control over which videos they invest their time in viewing. With this model, a video preview auto-plays on your feed but users have to tap on it to watch the full video. This allows users to quickly scroll through and decide which videos seem most interesting or relevant to them before committing to watch.
As this TikTok help article explains, turning on the profile view history setting also allows users to see who has tapped to view their profile or videos. So the tap-to-view model provides visibility into engagement for creators while still letting users control what they consume.
Overall, these controls give more power to TikTok users to customize their experience. They can choose to only tap into the content that aligns with their interests and preferences.
Downsides of the Tap-to-View Model
While the tap-to-view model has its benefits, some downsides have emerged that annoy users or negatively impact content creators:
The need to tap for each video can annoy some users who prefer more passive viewing. While the model drives engagement, some feel it interrupts their experience, especially when binging long streams of content.
The model tends to favor shorter videos since users are less likely to tap through very long videos. This can disadvantage creators who specialize in longer content.
Excluding passive viewers also means some groups like the elderly or disabled can be unintentionally left out if they have difficulties tapping for each video.
There are concerns that anxiety and compulsive use could increase with the “pull to refresh” style interaction. Critics argue the model further trains users to have short attention spans.
Overall the tap-to-view model fundamentally changes the viewing experience on TikTok. While increased engagement has benefits, disadvantages persist especially for longer videos and passive viewing.
The Future of Tap-to-View
TikTok’s tap-to-view model has generated a lot of buzz and speculation about whether the platform will keep this format long-term as it continues to evolve. On one hand, the tap-to-view approach has proven advantageous for TikTok in several ways:
It creates more engagement as users have to physically interact with each video. It helps filter out spam accounts and bots. It allows TikTok to gain more data on true user interests. And it gives users more control over their feed and experience.
However, some argue the format goes against expectations and norms around social video and could frustrate users in the long run. Critics say tapping on every video is too much effort for casual viewing. And the model limits the addictive, auto-playing feed that platforms like TikTok are known for.
TikTok has not indicated if tap-to-view is a permanent change or a test of a new format. The company is likely monitoring how it impacts key metrics like session time, conversions, and growth. While the model has advantages, TikTok may revert to more passive, endless scrolling if it starts hindering the addictive user behavior that has led to its meteoric rise.
Ultimately, TikTok will decide whether tap-to-view aligns with its long-term product vision or was just an experiment. But for now, it’s driving intrigue and keeping users on their toes as they adapt to a more interactive TikTok experience.
