Snapchat takes on TikTok with new Spotlight feature
23 November 2020, 14:04
The new section of the Snapchat app will showcase the most creative user-generated videos on the platform for all to see.
Snapchat is introducing a new entertainment-based section of the app called Spotlight, where it says it will highlight creative posts from users, in an apparent effort to rival TikTok.
The social media platform said Spotlight would be a new space for users to share creative videos with a wider audience within Snapchat.
Having created a video within Snapchat, users will now see a new Spotlight option appear when choosing where to send their clip, which will enable them to share with the Spotlight area of the app and be seen by a broader range of users.
The company also confirmed that as an early incentive for users to try out the new feature, it will give away more than one million US dollars (£748,000) every day until the end of the year to those who create the most-engaged-with Snaps on Spotlight.
Users must be over 16 and where applicable get parental consent to be considered for the funds, Snapchat said.
The new feature will begin rolling out in the UK and Ireland from Monday, the app confirmed.
Creative video-sharing has become increasingly popular on social media platforms, fuelled by the rise of TikTok, where users share short videos and has amassed millions of users in the UK.
Competition among social media apps for the attention of younger users has been intense for some years, with popular features and tools that appear on one platform often mimicked by others.
This has been most notable in the case of Snapchat’s disappearing Stories feature, which has since been introduced to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, as well as Twitter earlier this month.
Snapchat said Spotlight had been designed to entertain the app’s community while also having digital wellbeing in mind.
Spotlight content will be moderated by human reviewers and AI before it gets to 100 views and not distributed further until it has passed moderation, and public comments on posts are not allowed, it said.
Those who share Snaps from a private account will also see their account details remain private on Spotlight.
“Spotlight shines a light on the most entertaining Snaps created by the Snapchat community, no matter who created them,” the app’s parent company Snap said.
“We built Spotlight to be a place where anyone’s content can take centre stage – without needing a public account or an influencer following.
“It’s a fair and fun place for Snapchatters to share their best Snaps and see perspectives from across the Snapchat community.”
