Tiktok brings a different approach to truth and transparency in social media. Developed to add context to short videos, the new feature called Foot Footnotes, is being tested with users in the US in the first place. The platform, especially the user contribution to the center and aims to bring content control to a more transparent structure.
The Footnotes system will allow the addition of explanatory information under the content. Tiktok states that participants should meet certain conditions. These conditions are among these conditions for at least six months to be active on the platform, to be older than 18 years of age and not to violate community rules in the last six months.
Tiktok will balance different views
Tiktok includes a voting structure that balances different views at the basis of this system. This structure was prepared with inspiration from open source systems. Users who contribute can evaluate whether the notes are useful. As a result of this assessment, only notes that exceed a certain threshold become visible.
This system will facilitate access to information on the one hand and will direct users to produce more careful content. It seems that Tiktok moderation also cares about the participation of the community instead of running only through a central team. However, the healthy processing of the system will depend on the conscious contributions of users. In other words, the quality of the notes will be directly related to the understanding of responsibility of those who contribute.
Footnotes will only be tested in short video content. Tiktok announced that this system will be opened to more users over time. This test process, which is limited to the US for now, can spread to different countries in the following months. However, the transition to large -scale use will depend on whether the first data is positive or not.
Meanwhile, Tiktok’s system works similarly to Twitter’s Birdwatch program. Birdwatch was a system that works with a community contribution against false information on Twitter. Today, similar applications have been implemented on Meta’s platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Tiktok progresses in the same direction and makes the community contribution to the center.
In addition to all these, Tiktok went to shrink in the security and audit team last February. Despite this development, the platform continues to diversify the means of security and accuracy. Footnotes is also considered one of the steps in this direction. In other words, the company entrusts not only to its employees but also to its users.
The system is designed to develop as the number of contributions increases and spread to different issues. This structure aims to turn users into individuals who produce information, not only in video, but also to individuals who produce information. Tiktok’s approach can also contribute to the increase in informative content on the platform. Of course, the realization of this expectation will depend on the devoted contributions of users.
The explanatory notes that users will add to the content will be able to offer viewers a wider perspective. This system can undertake an important function, especially in the content produced on health, policy or social issues. Tiktok’s steps in this direction have the potential to reshape information security on social media. However, it will determine the ultimate effect, the stability of the system and the approach of users to the system.