The threat of Tik Tok

Alphabet, the corporation behind Google and YouTube, has recently taken side in the big tech competition by stealing a piece of the market from the trendy social network Tik Tok. The Chinese start-up Tik Tok is having problems with the privacy and security legislation of some countries, especially in India and in the USA, which are its main markets. In this turbulent context, the technology company that owns YouTube has launched SHORTS. A tool for creating short videos (up to 15 seconds) with digital layers that allow you to add filters, effects and music.

It is important to specify that it is not a separate or independent app but attached to the YouTube platform for the moment. Some dare to say that it will probably end up becoming an independent project, but at the moment it is not. As the company itself has explained: “Shorts is a new short-form video experience for creators and artists who want to shoot short, catchy videos using nothing but their cell phones.”

For the launch, YouTube used an intriguing memory: the first video that was uploaded to its platform, as a reference to its early and viral hit ““Me at the zoo” . The video was published in 2005 by the site’s co-founder Jawed Karim. It lasts just 18 seconds and it has reached more than 92 million views. It became a classic of Internet culture. The idea was to return to that creative and fresh origin in the content creation, which the platform has been losing over time. It has become more professional and standardized in its growth and massification.

How do you access Shorts? Simply by clicking on a small icon that appears on the video platform next to the usual interface. Shorts is currently in beta phase and can only be used in India, one of the busiest and most hectic places in content creation.

The YouTube platform announced that Shorts is based on 5 pillars:

1. Create: “Creation is at the core of short-form video and we want to make it easy and fun to create short movies. We have started to test some new tools for creators and artists with our initial beta release in India. “

2. A multi-segment camera to be able to connect multiple video clips together.

3. The option to use music from a song library.

4. Speed controls

5. A timer with a countdown for hands-free recording.

Its goal is to compete with Tik Tok’s audience. Not only among the Z generation but also among a wide age range, dedicated to the creation of these small pieces of content. The platform launches Beta at a very opportune moment, as very recently its competitor Instagram, owned by Facebook, has launched “Reels” within its platform, to take a powerful bite out of the Chinese company’s pie.

There is no doubt that we will see more chapters of this epic battle for the creation of agile and direct content, filled with digital layers: music, easy editing, filters, integrated augmented reality and a world of digital creations.