Black creators aren’t often credited for their significant cultural contributions on TikTok. Now, the platform is doing something about it.
The social media giant recently announced a new tool that will make it easier to credit the original creator–this is important since the overall premise of the platform is reusing audio clips from other users’ videos. TikTok is also wildly popular for showcasing dances that are created by other users––often Black ones.
“Today, we’re introducing new tools to better enable creator credit and equitable attribution for our creator community and content originators,” a statement on their website reads. “These features are an important step in our ongoing commitment to investing in resources and product experiences that support a culture of credit, which is central to ensuring TikTok remains a home for creative expression.”
TikTok says that with the launch of the crediting tools, creators will have the ability to directly tag, mention, and credit a video in their description, and “showcasing the diverse voices on the platform and the strength of our community.”
This announcement may be a direct byproduct of a public outcry from Black TikTok content creators that felt overlooked, discriminated against, and underappreciated on the app, despite generating hordes of views from their content.
Recently, Forbes released a list of top-earning TikTok users in January and no Black creators were on it.
Last summer, users launched #BlackTikTokStrike to help support Black creatives voice their concerns about their work being copied by non-Black users without properly crediting them.
To find out more about the crediting tool, visit TikTok.com