TikTok has confirmed it is experimenting with a new “Nearby” content feed for users to browse local content. The test, which is limited in scope, is being tested with select users in Southeast Asia. Users who are part of the limited test will see the new feed tab displayed alongside the “Following” and “For You” feeds on the app’s homepage.
In a statement to TechCrunch, a spokesperson for the company stated that the ‘Nearby’ feed will show content that’s trending near the user and promote local creators.
As it sounds, TikTok’s Nearby feed is meant to help users find videos that are more relevant to them as well as help users find interesting events and places near them. Users in the region will see the new feed displayed alongside the “Following and “For You” feeds on the app’s homepage.
Nearby feed is being tested alongside a feature that gives creators the ability to add location tags to their videos. “The ability to add location tags” TikTok’s spokesperson to TechCrunch, “is gradually rolling out to creators.”
If TikTok decides to roll out the feature to all users, it would mean that the app would have 3 separate feeds. Currently, there are two feeds available for users on the home page, ‘For You’ which shows a mix of suggestions and content from accounts users follow and ‘Following’, which focuses on videos from your friends.
The “Nearby” feed will be paired with TikTok’s recommendation algorithm to offer a similar experience to that of Snapchat’s Snap maps that making it easier for the users to locate local content from nearby places. In July, the Meta-owned Instagram also launched a similar feature in its app, so that users can discover new places based on other people’s content. Before now, the Instagram map only displayed posts. The enhanced map interface now allows users to search the map, access filtering options, and move the map around to see what’s nearby.
Interestingly, one of Google’s executives acknowledged that more people have been using TikTok to find new places, which certainly has an impact on Google search. For example, you can search for videos of a restaurant directly on TikTok instead of searching for information about it on Google.
The new feed would open up much more new possibilities for users on the app and even impact other external apps that depend on location platforms such as Google and TripAdvisor, local advertisers and even marketers who are looking to connect to local users.
