TikTok seems to be moving away from one of its core elements:
vertical format for videos. Some creators have reported that they are being
prompted by TikTok to post videos in a horizontal format. The pop-up message
says that posting videos longer than 1 minute and in landscape mode would boost
views within the first 72 hours after they are posted.
In fact, TikTok is asserting that these videos will be the only “eligible” ones to get increased views. Considering that vertical, full-screen videos are an essential visual element of the app, it doesn’t leave much room to see why TikTok is promoting landscape format.
The only plausible reason is that the platform is experimenting
with different content types, like what it has been doing via its Creativity
Program. TikTok had even mentioned ‘landscape format’ in the list of ‘Best
Content Formats’ on the Creativity Program overview page late last year.
Another way that TikTok is experimenting with variety in content types is with long-form videos, that are 30-minutes long, to be exact. This, too, contradicts with TikTok’s originality as it is a popular platform for short-form videos in particular.
