TikTok is adding a new feature to its offerings, and this time it’s something we can all get behind. The wildly popular social media app has been providing some respite for people during lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic, but now the company behind the platform, ByteDance, is adding Donation Stickers.
As the name suggests, these Donation Stickers will allow content creators on TikTok, and the people who watch them, to donate to charities working to fight the spread of COVID-19 across the globe, as well as organisations working to help citizens struggling during these times.
The stickers will be rolling out to the TikTok community in coming days and weeks, depending on the region you’re in, and at launch will be working with the following organisations – CDC Foundation, James Beard Foundation, Meals on Wheels, MusiCares, National PTA, National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, No Kid Hungry and The Actors Fund.
As you can tell by the names, many of those organisations are located Stateside, so hopefully TikTok is planning to localise which charities and companies these stickers will benefit.
“To kickstart our launch of Donation Stickers, we’ve partnered with organizations whose missions support vulnerable groups that are reflective of some of TikTok’s thriving communities yet have been deeply impacted by the health and economic damage caused by the pandemic,” writes Sean Kim, head of product for TikTok US.
“And to further support these impacted communities, TikTok will be matching user donations made through the Donation Stickers until May 27. The hashtag #doubleyourimpact will automatically be added to videos and TikTok LIVE streams that use the stickers,” he adds.
As TechCrunch explains, these stickers will work like any other ones available on the platform in terms of adding them to videos. Once tapped on though, they will redirect users via pop-up window to donate to the charity or organisation that the specific creator is fundraising for.
The steps for adding Donation Stickers for creators are as follows:
- “In the editing page, click on ‘[COVID-19]’ Donation sticker
- Choose an organization
- Place the sticker on the video
- Caption and post! (#doubleyourimpact will be automatically added to the caption).”
TechCrunch adds that Tiltify is the organisation that TikTok has partnered with on this initiative, with it previously working with the likes of Twitch and specialising in fundraising projects involving live streams.
The platform hopes that it is not just its popular dancing, singing or comedy creators that will make the most of this new tool, with a number of healthcare workers also taking to TikTok in order to use it to spread vital information about COVID-19 and how to stay safe during lockdowns and social distancing.
While many have been on the fence when it comes to TikTok, it is nice to see the platform being used for good during these testing times.
[Image – Photo by Kon Karampelas on Unsplash]
