TikToks Can Now Be 10 Minutes Long and People Aren’t Stoked

Our short attention spans are quaking.

Remember when TikTok’s had could only be 15 seconds long?

That memory is about to become more and more distant, with the social media platform announcing it’s expanding the maximum video limit to 10 minutes.

The move is hoping to give content creators the flexibility to record longer videos, which could prove helpful in comedic sketches and cooking demos (okay, but imagine an extended version of Hailey Bieber's terrifying ‘pizza toast’ recipe.)

Here’s what’s happened, and what people are saying:

Why fix something that isn’t broken?

The new 10-minute limit is a far cry from TikTok’s original 15 seconds, which soon extended to 60, then more recently to three minutes.

It seems like a step in the wrong direction to a lot of users used to the short-form nature of the app.

In a statement, TikTok said: “We’re always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience.”

They said they’re excited about the evolution they hope will “give our community more time to create and be entertained on TikTok” and “unleash even more creative possibilities for our creators around the world.”

Social Media analyst Matt Navarra was one of the first to break the news:

Speaking to The Verge, he said longer-form content is, in general, “easier to monetise and keeps people on the platform longer,” but that TikTok could do with a dedicated home for it so people can still whiz through the feed if they want.

It’s said to be a direct competition to YouTube.

As TikTok venture into longer and longer content, other social media companies are doing the opposite.

YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat have all released their own spins on TikTok in recent years trying to tap into TikTok’s growing dominance.

It’s copping a fair bit of backlash.

This could have a big impact on how people consume content in the app, and a lot of people aren’t happy.

Some say it’s a risky bet for TikTok, which has built its audience on the back of short, pithy memes and responses. 

I literally quit watching stuff on tiktok when they introduced videos up to 3 minutes and got tired of wasting my time now they’re gonna make the limit 10 minutes ??? TIKTOK YOU HAD A GOOD THING people got hooked cause it was so quick, easy and actually fun back in 2019

— Giulia🧚‍♀️ (@zoommichzudir) March 1, 2022

Meanwhile, others think 10 minutes is just too long.

If anyone on tiktok wastes 10 minutes of my time beating around the bush for something that could of been said in 2 minutes, I'm throwing hands

— ⋆ 🎀SpookyKat🎀 ⋆ (@sp00kygh0stkat) March 1, 2022

Some people aren’t stoked because they enjoyed the fact that TikTok nurtured their short attention spans.

Tiktok increasing their video length to 10 minutes is so annoying, my attention span is not built for that. I can’t even get through the 2 min videos

— 🇱🇹 (@aponiixo) February 28, 2022

i just learned that tiktok is gonna raise their max. video length to 10 minutes??? i‘m sorry i will not be watching movies on an app that functions perfectly fine for my very limited attention span

— lee 🤍 (@leenatsukina) March 1, 2022

Meanwhile, others are keen on the move for storytelling purposes, hoping the days of “like for a part two!” are gone now, while others are calling it a game-changer for the music video industry.

No one is really sure if this will flop or thrive, so I guess we'll have to wait and see if a #10MinuteChallenge goes viral in the coming days.