Technology News: Social media giant TikTok is partnering with hundreds of universities, experts and charities to create educational content for the platform.
English Heritage, The Prince’s Trust and The University of Cambridge are among partners who will produce bespoke content at launch.
Other contributors include actors, singers and psychologists, bringing together a wide range of skills.
The new focus could appeal to the trend for micro-learning, said one expert.
TikTok has been downloaded more than two billion times on iOS and Android since it was launched globally in 2017. It allows users to make videos up to 15 seconds long, with music in the background.
With its success built on user-generated entertainment videos, the move to incorporate professionally produced learning content marks a significant shift, as the company attempts to diversify its content.
At launch, videos will include British actor Sean Sagar sharing tips on preparing for auditions, and TV presenter and mathematician Rachel Riley helping to develop maths skills.
Speaking exclusively to BBC Click, Rich Waterworth, TikTok’s general manager for Europe, said the platform had noticed users’ interest in educational videos, with more than seven billion views of the hashtag #LearnOnTikTok.
“Going forward, LearnOnTikTok is about us investing in partners and content creators with a breadth of professional content… We think this is about applying the power of TikTok to learning: the effects, the audio, the transitions, the tools that make it so engaging and fun, to make people enjoy learning.”
–BBC
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