How Will New TikTok Feature Help Hollywood?
By Movieguide® Contributor
TikTok just unveiled a new feature intended to help Hollywood tap into the social media platform’s user base.
“TikTok Spotlight identifies applicable TikToks on our platform and attributes an anchor link,” an announcement from the video app reads. “The link drives audiences to a dedicated landing page where they can discover more details like synopsis, cast, official accounts, and a collection of other creator content linked to the same title, allowing fans to explore the fandom and conversation around the title, fully immersing themselves in the community.”
In addition to information about the movie, users can also be directed to streaming platforms to watch the movie or to buy tickets to see it at the theater.
The feature was test-driven earlier this year with DUNE: PART TWO. TikTok users were directed to a curated search hub with videos about the movie and were challenged to create their own DUNE-inspired videos, which would unlock a custom video filter.
James Stafford, TikTok’s global head of publishers, explained the new tool, telling Variety, “With TikTok Spotlight, we are harnessing the water-cooler effect, offering a full-service marketing platform that is supercharging our organic ecosystem, driving community and business results for entertainment marketers.”
Cameron Curtis, Warner Bros. executive vice president of global digital marketing, was equally excited about the potential power of TikTok Spotlight.
“As we navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape, TikTok Spotlight has become an invaluable tool in our marketing arsenal,” Curtis told Deadline. “By leveraging TikTok Spotlight, we’ve been able to organically amplify our reach, engage with a diverse audience, and create authentic connections around our films, generating dynamic conversations and user-generated content that elevate the social buzz around our movies.”
Movieguide® previously reported on TikTok’s influence:
TikTok’s influence is broad, but how is its algorithm so successful? And what is the secret behind it?
TikTok now ranks as the second most popular social media app used by children, and it’s more relevant than ever to understand the technology behind the media our kids consume.
According to a new study by Karan Vombatkere and colleagues at Boston University, “between 30% and 50% of the first 1,000 videos TikTok users encounter are exploiting their past interests.”
The study was conducted by analyzing data donated by users who downloaded their app usage under the GDPR (EU’s General Data Protection Regulation), the Fast Company explained.
However, despite these concerns, Julian McAuley — a professor of computer science at the University of California San Diego — viewed internal documentation on the TikTok algorithm and told the New York Times, “There seems to be some perception that they’ve cracked some magic code for recommendation, but most of what I’ve seen seems pretty normal.”
According to McAuley, TikTok has “fantastic volumes of data, highly engaged users, and a setting where users are amenable to consuming algorithmically recommended content. Not some algorithmic magic.”
The opinion on TikTok’s algorithm is divided. Perhaps the platform does not have a “magic bullet” algorithm after all, and its technology merely reproduces the past patterns of the users. Or perhaps the lack of transparency around their algorithm is a means to hide something darker.
