After first previewing them again in April, TikTok has at present introduced an expanded launch of its personal model of Group Notes, referred to as “Footnotes,” which is able to allow TikTok customers so as to add contextual info to posts within the app.
As you may see on this instance, TikTok’s Footnotes are the identical as X’s Group Notes function, offering extra context on posts to assist clarify probably deceptive or incorrect info in related clips.
As defined by TikTok:
“Footnotes attracts on the collective information of the TikTok neighborhood by permitting folks so as to add related info to content material on our platform. Beginning at present, U.S. customers within the Footnotes pilot program can begin to write and fee footnotes on brief movies, and our U.S. neighborhood will start to see those rated as useful – and fee them, too.”
So, yeah, it’s precisely like X’s Group Notes, offering one other info stream throughout the platform that may assist to raised inform the neighborhood.
Which might be useful, as extra perception is all the time higher, and varied research have proven that Group Notes can play a major position in slowing the unfold of misinformation in social media apps.
The important thing downside of the Group Notes system, nevertheless, which has been replicated by Meta in its utility of the method, and TikTok as properly, is that as a way to show notes with out political bias, the system makes use of a differential weighting system, which signifies that notes are solely displayed when be aware raters of opposing beliefs agree {that a} be aware is critical.
Which is a logical method, that does assist to alleviate biased and malicious be aware utilization. Nevertheless it additionally signifies that on a number of the most divisive political points, no notes are going to be proven, as a result of on some points, there merely gained’t ever be consensus between the 2 sides.
That is much less of a priority on Meta’s apps and on TikTok, as a result of each firms have opted to take care of a degree of fact-checking and moderation, which is able to assist to catch out blatant issues on this respect. However on X, which has eradicated third-party fact-checking completely, and gutted its moderation staff, that signifies that the overwhelming majority of notes are by no means proven, which has left the platform rife with unchecked misinformation, muddying the waters on varied main debates.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t imply that it is a dangerous initiative, with research, once more, displaying that Group Notes do assist to scale back the dissemination of deceptive reviews. However it could result in expanded issues when platforms depend on person enter for a good portion of their moderation.
However it is usually the method that U.S. President Donald Trump prefers.
Trump desires to have the ability to say no matter he desires on social media, no matter reality, and he hates that the platforms ever selected to censor and limit content material primarily based on issues like information. So this has, seemingly, been part of the Trump Administration’s push, prompting the platforms that want Trump’s assist, for no matter motive, to fall into line with this request.
And TikTok, which remains to be dealing with a full ban within the U.S., undoubtedly wants to stay on Trump’s good facet.
As such, it’s no shock to see Footnotes getting a broader roll out, as TikTok seems to exhibit to the Trump staff that it’s going to work with them, nevertheless it could.
TikTok says that nearly 80,000 U.S. customers have certified to contribute Footnotes, with extra being added every day. Notes will start showing to U.S. customers from this week.
