What is TikTok Now?
TikTok Now is a new feature launched by TikTok in September 2022. It allows users to capture and share daily 10-second videos or static photos to give their followers a glimpse into their everyday lives.
With TikTok Now, users are prompted by the app once or twice daily to take a 10-second video or static photo to post. The prompts appear at randomized times each day.
TikTok Now aims to provide an authentic look into users’ real-time moments and experiences. It gives users a way to share casual, candid snippets from their day without the pressure of creating highly produced content.
The “Post to View” Prompt
When you open TikTok Now, it says “Post to view” at the top of the screen. This prompt means that in order to view other people’s posts in TikTok Now, you first have to post your own photo or short video. As explained by Dexerto, TikTok Now will show a blurred version of other people’s posts until you share your own content.
As described by Game Revolution, when you try to view posts in TikTok Now before posting your own, it will say “Post to view” at the top to remind you to share something first. The “Post to View” message is TikTok’s way of encouraging participation in the TikTok Now feature before seeing others’ content.
Why Does it Say “Post to View?”
The “Post to View” prompt on TikTok Now encourages users to create and share their own content in order to view other users’ posts. This feature is designed to drive engagement on the platform by incentivizing frequent posting and viewing.
TikTok introduced the “Post to View” requirement as part of the TikTok Now feature, which shows users a daily feed of short videos and photos from people they follow. Before users can view other people’s contributions, TikTok Now asks them to first post a photo or short video of their own. The idea is to get users creating and interacting with content on a regular basis.
By making viewing contingent on posting, TikTok Now spurs users to actively contribute to the app throughout the day. This increases the amount of content in people’s feeds and gives users more reasons to check back regularly. According to TikTok, the feature is meant to “inspire authentic and entertaining moments” (TikTok Now announcement).
In short, the “Post to View” requirement drives participation, turning TikTok Now into a two-way platform where users are both viewers and creators. This cycle aims to boost overall engagement as people get in the habit of both making and watching posts multiple times a day.
How TikTok Now Works
TikTok Now allows users to capture and share casual, authentic moments from their day via daily 10-second videos. These videos automatically disappear after 24 hours [1]. Similar to Snapchat Stories or BeReal, the focus is on real-time quick videos that capture spontaneous slices of users’ daily lives.
Users post short 10-second videos or a series of static photos once per day using TikTok Now, with prompt times randomized throughout the day. The videos and photos are aligned vertically for a scrapbook collage-style feed. When scrolling through TikTok Now feeds of people you follow, you see their most recent daily posts stacked on top of one another chronologically.
Since the content disappears daily, the feature creates a sense of urgency and immediacy, encouraging users to frequently check in and share life updates through unfiltered, in-the-moment content. The concept revolves around visual storytelling throughout the day, cultivating a digital daily diary via videos.
Incentivizes Frequent Usage
TikTok Now encourages frequent engagement by requiring users to post content in order to view others’ videos. As described on the TikTok Creator Portal, “TikTok Now invites you and your friends to capture what you’re doing in the moment” (https://www.tiktok.com/creators/creator-portal/en-us/getting-paid-to-create/creator-fund/). The “Post to View” prompt incentivizes posting your own videos to unlock the ability to view friends’ videos.
By necessitating content creation to participate, TikTok Now drives more habitual usage. Users have to regularly open the app and create new videos to see what their friends are up to. This mechanic spurs ongoing participation and turns TikTok into a daily ritual.
Spurs Content Creation
One of the main goals of TikTok Now is to spur more frequent content creation from users. By prompting users to capture and share moments throughout the day, it lowers the barrier to creating content. Whereas users may not go out of their way to create a typical TikTok video, TikTok Now makes it easy by sending a notification that allows quick photo or video capture. This requires minimal effort compared to more polished videos.
TikTok likely hopes the lowered friction will inspire users to create content more habitually. The more users create content, the more active the platform becomes. TikTok Now taps into natural daily activities and interactions, capturing authentic moments that people are motivated to share.
Builds a Daily Viewing Habit
The “Post to View” feature of TikTok Now encourages users to return to the app daily in order to view content. By requiring a photo or video post to view other users’ content, TikTok Now incentivizes frequent engagement and builds a daily TikTok habit. According to TikTok’s support page, the app tracks daily usage and opens across devices, further emphasizing the goal of daily active time on TikTok [1].
American adults already spend significant time on TikTok, with over 4.43 billion minutes per day as of 2023, behind only Facebook [2]. The “Post to View” mechanic spurs more content creation and viewing from users looking to take part in the daily experience. This frequent usage helps solidify TikTok as a daily habit and entertainment source.
Drives Engagement
TikTok Now encourages more content creation and interactivity between users by prompting them to post videos multiple times per day. The “Post to View” mechanism essentially forces users to create their own content regularly in order to see their friends’ videos. According to TikTok, this builds “closer engagement with your friends and community” (https://www.tiktok.com/creators/creator-portal/en-us/product-feature-updates/tiktok-now/).
By getting users to post frequently, TikTok Now increases engagement across the platform. People are viewing and interacting with content more often throughout the day. The feature gives users a reason to keep opening the app and participating. TikTok Now ultimately drives up overall usage, video views, comments, shares, and other engagement metrics.
Potential Downsides
While TikTok Now offers some benefits for user engagement, it also comes with some potential downsides to consider.
One major concern is the pressure it puts on users to frequently post content. Since TikTok Now is built around daily sharing, some users may feel like they need to constantly come up with new content to avoid disappointing their followers. This could contribute to creative burnout or stress for some users who don’t want the pressure of posting daily.
There are also ongoing privacy concerns when it comes to TikTok and data collection. Some privacy advocates have raised alarms about TikTok Now’s real-time location sharing capabilities and what that means for user data and security. Users have to weigh the benefits of TikTok Now against potential privacy risks.
While TikTok Now offers a novel way to engage with the platform, users should be aware of the potential pressure to create content and privacy implications before participating.
The Bottom Line
The “Post to View” functionality on TikTok Now is a strategic move by TikTok to drive more frequent engagement and content creation on the platform. By requiring users to post their own content in order to view others’ posts, TikTok incentivizes daily usage and spurs users to actively participate rather than passively consume content (source). This helps build a habitual daily TikTok checking behavior while also generating more content from users themselves.
While potentially beneficial for TikTok as a business, the “Post to View” model does raise concerns around pressuring users to create content even when they may not want to. There are valid critiques about gamifying social media interactions in this way. However, TikTok likely sees this as a key driver of app stickiness and engagement in a competitive landscape.
