TikTok is an app used around the world. As such, the content you view may come from a variety of countries. But what if you’re more interested in content that creators in your country or region are making? The good news is that you’ll soon have that option. TikTok has announced a new feature called Nearby Feed that displays content that is more local to you.
TikTok will show local content with the Nearby Feed feature
According to TikTok, “The Nearby Feed helps people explore what’s happening close to them, from discovering local creators and trending spots to everyday moments that reflect their community.” This means that instead of seeing food reviews of a restaurant a thousand miles away from you, you will start seeing content that is more accessible based on your location.
This will help both users and content creators. Users can discover content that is more relatable, while creators will be able to reach more relevant audiences . Now, keep in mind that your TikTok feed isn’t being replaced . TikTok says that the Nearby Feed can be accessed from the home screen via a tab.
This tab will reflect the location they are near. This also means that if you’re traveling in a new country, you can check out local feeds to see what’s happening around you. The content will also align with your personal interests and engagement. So, you can think of this as a highly localized version of your main TikTok feed.
There are some limitations
That being said, TikTok notes that there are some limitations to this feature. For starters, Nearby Feed won’t appear if someone is under the age of 18, has a private account, or sets their post privacy to “Friends” or “Only You.”
In terms of availability, the feature is only being rolled out to a select few countries for now. This includes France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. We suppose depending on how well-received the feature is, TikTok will eventually roll it out to most users.
It’s an interesting take, especially now that the TikTok deal with the US is underway . This deal will see TikTok license its algorithm to the US government. In turn, they will tweak it to ensure data from US users won’t fall into the wrong hands. We were always curious how the experience would differ, and this Nearby Feed feature could be a sneak peek into that.
