TikTok is pushing longer videos. Some creators worry about the vibe shift

When TikTok took off in 2020 — with short dancing or comedy clips providing much-needed entertainment to many users at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic — it launched a short-form video arms race.

When TikTok took off in 2020 — with short dancing or comedy clips providing much-needed entertainment to many users at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic — it launched a short-form video arms race. Suddenly, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other social platforms were rushing to roll out similar products, encouraging users to make videos up to one-minute in length that would be displayed vertically, in a scrolling feed with endless recommendations for what to watch next. Those other platforms spent the following years trying to play catch-up to TikTok’s popularity, especially among the crucial teen demographic. But now, the short-form video pioneer is changing course and pushing users to make and consume longer videos. On Saturday, TikTok will officially phase out its original “Creator Fund,” and creators who want to monetize their content will have to join the new “Creativity Program Beta,” under which they’ll have to make videos longer than one-minute if they want to get paid by the app. TikTok’s shift to longer-form content is in some ways a reversal of fortunes — it’s now following its legacy peers into a content format that’s often more profitable. The strategy could also encourage users to spend even more time on an app that some teens already say they’re using “almost constantly.” But some TikTok creators are frustrated with the move, worrying it will take away from what initially made TikTok so popular: the ability to quickly scroll through lots of different kinds of content, and for nearly anyone to easily make videos without extensive planning or resources. “I don’t always have a minute of content in me,” said Nicki Apostolou, a TikTok creator with nearly 150,000 followers known as “recycldstardust,” who makes content about Native American history and culture on the app.