TikTok is introducing TikTok Avatars, a new way for creators to share parts of themselves.
The avatar designs appear to take some inspiration from Bitmojis, but offer far more customization options. “Choose from an array of hairstyles, accessories, piercings, and makeup to create a TikTok Avatar that reflects your personal look and style,” the official announcement declares.
TikTok Avatars will be another great monetization avenue for the platform. Selling accessories for avatars a la Fortnite will likely be a future offering for users on the social media platform. So ready to create your own TikTok Avatar? Here’s how to get started.
How to Create TikTok Avatars
- Open the TikTok app.
- Navigate to the ‘Effects‘ section.
- Search for the ‘Avatar’ effect.
- Customize your Avatar to your liking.
- You can now start recording videos.
As you gesture and move, your avatar will mimic your movements to capture the spirit of what you’re doing. TikTok says its excited to launch TikTok Avatars globally.
“From outfits to skin tones and hair color down to texture, building inclusive features and experiences remains our priority, and we’ll continue to listen to our community and look to creators for feedback at every step of its development,” the blog post reads.
TikTok’s short-form video format has been copied to death by rival platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Now it’s no small surprise that TikTok is adopting some of their features as its own. Facebook revealed its version of avatars last year as a complement to its concept for a metaverse.
Snapchat acquired startup Bitstrips in 2016 to integrate its Bitmoji cartoon avatars into its app. Even Apple got on board the avatar game by introducing personalized avatars called Memojis in 2018 when iOS 12 rolled out. TikTok’s avatars will capitalize on the fact that people enjoy expressing themselves anonymously online – and avatars enable that.