Tiktok Creates Live Programming to Encourage Connection Amid Social Distancing

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TikTok launched #HappyAtHome on Monday, a new set of curated original programming featuring celebrities and TikTok influencers that will live stream every night this week to boost the mood of its homebound users, per a company release.

The #HappyAtHome: Live! content will feature different themes every night of the week, with corresponding public figures: For instance “Motivation Monday” featured some inspirational words from Arnold Schwarzenegger, while Thursday will be “EduTok” with Bill Nye. The app has also been running live-streamed Q&A sessions with the World Health Organization (WHO) since last week.

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This marks the first instance of TikTok creating its own programming, and the content could help the app boost trust in the US, where it has been under scrutiny in recent months.

Since November 2019, TikTok has been under fire from US regulators for its ties to Beijing. This scrutiny even resulted in the US Army, as well as several other branches of the military, banning the app in late 2019 and early January 2020.

The app has also run afoul of COPPA for purportedly collecting data on minorss, for which it was fined $5.7 million last year. In response, the app has been working to build and repair relationships in the US: It recently opened an office in LA, sent its execs to Washington DC, and is looking to hire a US-based CEO to run all domestic operations.

By creating this content in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the app is likely hoping to further signal to the US government and public more broadly that it can also be a force for social good. And in including beloved celebrities from Tracee Ellis Ross to Alicia Keys, the programming may help TikTok’s image among a broader swath of the US population than its typical cohort of 16- to 24-year-olds.

This move also places TikTok in line with other tech platforms that have introduced features that simultaneously encourage social distancing and connection among users. Along with routing users to official sources, like the CDC and the WHO, some social platforms and tech companies have engaged in more light-hearted efforts to encourage responsible behavior in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

For example, Instagram created a “Stay Home” sticker for Stories, which we wrote about here, and a new cowatching feature, which we discuss in the item below, and Snapchat accelerated the release of its “Here for You” feature, which aims to comfort users experiencing heightened anxiety. This series of programming is likewise TikTok’s way of encouraging responsible action while still providing users with something positive, engaging, and, given the celebrity involvement, cool.

The latter could go a long way with TikTok users in particular, given that they skew younger. Lastly, the initiative allows TikTok to provide users with a shared experience to engage with – a bread-and-butter aspect of TikTok’s strategy, given the platform’s emphasis on communal experiences, like challenges, that invite all of its users in.

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