In order to foster a “culture of credit”, the world’s biggest short form video platform now lets you tag your TikTok inspiration videos. Learn more here!

There’s always a worry when you create and share online that your ideas might be stolen. Or, on the flip side, there’s a concern that you could be accused of plagiarism. It’s natural to take inspiration from things you’ve seen, but it’s never a good look to rip people off.

TikTok is a fast-paced short form video sharing platform with an unfathomable amount of content on it. Therefore, it’s inevitable that some content is going to be a pretty close match to existing videos. Users of the platform have complained in the past that there is a general lack of attribution or fair dues paid to trendsetters.

This has been an issue particularly for black creators, whose content kicks off trends that then go viral on the platform across communities, without then being properly credited. A prime example of this is when a number of black dancers went on strike last summer.

Challengingly, the nature of TikTok somewhat inherently promotes this kind of copy cat content creation. Things like audio clips and hashtags are designed to encourage viral trends.

Attempting to curb the pattern of creators not being thanked for their influence, TikTok has introduced a new feature. Now, when uploading content, users will be able to tag their TikTok inspiration and favourite creators, ensuring they receive credit for their work. Not only will users be able to tag individual creators in the descriptions of videos, but also specific videos.

TikTok has claimed that this added touch will  “better enable creator credit and equitable attribution for our creator community and content originators.”

This comes not long after TikTok competitor, Instagram added creator tags, letting users credit collaborators on posts. Since content creation platforms rely so heavily on the creators, it’s crucial to keep them happy. TikTok’s director of creator community, Kudzi Chikumbu hinted at this when announcing the new tagging feature:

“These features are an important step in our ongoing commitment to investing in resources and product experiences that support a culture of credit, which is central to ensuring TikTok remains a home for creative expression. Whether taking part in the latest trend, adding a punchline to a joke, or creating the next viral sound, creators can easily and directly cite their inspiration.”