YouTube Shorts – The Next Big Thing?
One undeniable thing is that, mainly due to the pandemic, short videos are here to stay. We are talking about shorts of less than 3 minutes in length—instant and explosive entertaining.
The revolution of short videos started with TikTok, a video-sharing and social network platform. To date, Tiktok has more than two billion users, which means it’s an absolute success.
Since then, others have added similar features to their apps, and TikTok clones have appeared in droves. A prominent example is Instagram. To take advantage of the popularity of short videos, Instagram added a feature to combat TikTok: reels. Reels are short videos you can watch on Instagram as if it were TikTok.
But now, the king of the video-hosting platforms entered the arena of shorts videos. YouTube recently released YouTube shorts worldwide, their bet to compete against TikTok.
The history of YouTube Shorts
What is new to most of the world, it’s nothing new to some. Actually, many people have been enjoying YouTube shorts since last year.
YouTube Shorts was first launched in the fall of 2020 in India to take advantage of the fact that TikTok is banned in said country. Then, Shorts was launched in the USA and other 25 countries in March of this year. And now it’s finally available in more than 100 countries, wherever YouTube is available.
YouTube has promised that it will add new YouTube Shorts features to make it stand out over TikTok. But it also has claimed to have up to $ 100 million in funding to pay content creators on YouTube shorts. So it’s more than confirmed now, YouTube shorts can be monetized in the future.
Features
YouTube Shorts is no different from TikTok. In that sense, users can swipe through a limitless feed of shorts videos created by an algorithm, explore hashtags, subscribe to creators of their interest, remix video audio tracks, and the like. Some say that the interface is similar to TikTok’s even.
It also counts with the basic features of any TikTok-based platform. For example, people can easily use a multi-segment camera to string clips together; it has an extensive list of music tracks and a tremendous captioning tool. And it recently added the capability to sample audio from other YouTube videos.
Shorts’ leading attractiveness is that it is not its own app, but it’s integrated into the YouTube ecosystem. That means that everyone using the mobile app, both viewers and creators, can switch from YouTube to Shorts in a tap. This way, YouTube is giving access to Shorts to all of its billions of users.
However, some comment that the platform lacks some of the best TikTok features, such as collaborative features.
Google’s answer to TikTok
No one can deny that Shorts is Google’s reaction to TikTok’s growing influence in the video-sharing market. So naturally, the question remains: can YouTube beat TikTok?
Other TikTok competitors have not done so well, such as Instagram Reels. But YouTube promises that Shorts will bring a new force of creativity to the platform.
Shorts is still in beta; new features and monetization are on the way. So, the time will tell if it wins the short-form videos race.
Are YouTube Shorts downloadable?
Unlike TikTok, YouTube Shorts aren’t available for download. In fact, to do so, you will have to resort to online tools like Coconvert.com.
Meta Description
Short videos are flooding the internet: TikTok, Instagram Reels, and many more. And now YouTube Shorts has finally arisen worldwide. Discover more here!
Photo by Szabo Viktor on Unsplash
About the Author
Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.
Related Posts
Quick Way to Get Your Favorite YouTube Songs via MP3Juices! →
Revolutionize Your TikTok Downloads: Say No to Watermarks →
Comprehensive Handbook for Launching a YouTube Channel for Kids →
