TikTok Stories Tests Posts That Disappear After 24 Hours

It seems that TikTok is finally ready to turn the tables on big rivals like Instagram, Twitter, and even YouTube. After having been copied repeatedly by those competitors, the once-embattled short video platform is now returning the favor by copying a feature that has become a staple for at least one of those social networks. TikTok is apparently testing out its own ephemeral Stories in an attempt to diversify its features and attract even more users to its platform.

Snapchat can probably be credited for popularizing the ephemeral messages trend, and its Stories predated what has now become associated with Instagram. Whether it's called Stories, Shorts, or Fleets, the basic concept is still the same. Photos or videos posted in this format disappear after 24 hours, making them feel more valuable as time-limited exclusives.

Now it seems that TikTok is the latest to jump on this train, and it might unabashedly call it "Stories" as well. According to Variety, the social network is conducting tests outside the US on a small number of users. The idea, according to a company representative, is to give creators more formats to express their creativity.

This isn't the first time TikTok has given its users more room for that creativity. It recently tripled its maximum video length from 60 seconds to three minutes, encouraging more content to be produced and shared on the network. Of course, this will ideally attract more users as well, which could lead to more opportunities for a profit later on.

The Stories concept, however, isn't a winner all the time. While it has worked tremendously well for Instagram, it has been the opposite for Twitter which just shut down its equivalent Fleets feature. TikTok Stories might not even make it to a final release, depending on the feedback from this pilot test.