Professional networking platform LinkedIn said Thursday (Mar 29) it was working on a TikTok-like short-form video feed, following the trend set by giants like Instagram and YouTube.
A dedicated video feed full of short-form content will appear in the app’s navigation bar. Users will be able to scroll through the videos, while also sharing, commenting on and liking them. The feature was first spotted by Austin Null, a strategy director at an influencer agency called McKinney.
We are testing new ways to help members more easily discover timely, relevant videos to watch on LinkedIn,” Suzi Owens, a company spokesperson told the outlet.
The video option will appear next to the home button at the bottom of the app’s navigation bar.
Austin Null, a strategy director, shared a screen recording of the new video option on his app and said “He told y’all once LinkedIn as a product catches up to the other platforms it’s over.”
The video option looks very similar to the feed on TikTok and the 2020 launch of Instagram reels.
The difference
It must be noted that LinkedIn’s video tab won’t look like a copycat of similar features in other apps. While the content on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok encompasses a variety of topics, from comedy, and politics to food and lifestyle, the content on LinkedIn will be carefully themed around career-related topics.
Simply put, the app won’t lose its essence of being a career-oriented app after the introduction of the video feature.
Feature in early testing
Microsoft-owned LinkedIn has said the feature is still in the early stages and will take time to get rolled out fully. The company said it was forced to take the step as “videos are becoming one of its users’ desired formats for learning from professionals and experts.”
Many ‘TikTokers’ and content creators on Instagram and YouTube have amassed massive following by posting career-related content on these platforms. LinkedIn now wants to attract this wide community to its own app, leveraging its position as the biggest professional networking platform in the market.
Brendan Gahan, the co-founder and CEO of Creator Authority, said that while it is rarer for users to have more than 1 million followers on LinkedIn, their connections tend to be “narrower, deeper and more trusted.”
The app might also look forward to monetising its video feed, enticing creators to flock to LinkedIn for their career-related content.
Concerns
However, not all users are fans of short-form video content. Many express concern about the proliferation of such content across platforms as it may come across as a distracting feature on an app especially dedicated to professional networking.
Peoplesmind
