In a strategic move reminiscent of Facebook’s origins, TikTok has unveiled Campus Verification, a feature designed to help college students connect with peers on their campuses. This initiative aims to transform TikTok into a platform that fosters real-world connections among students.
Accessing Campus Verification
To utilize this feature, students should:
1. Navigate to their TikTok profile.
2. Tap the Add school button.
3. Enter their college name and select their graduation year.
4. Verify their enrollment by providing an academic email address.
Upon successful verification, the college name and graduation year will be displayed on the user’s profile.
Exploring Campus Connections
With Campus Verification enabled, students can:
– Browse their school’s dedicated page.
– Filter peers by graduation year.
– View a list of students who have added the same school to their profiles.
– Sort the list to highlight the most-followed users.
Partnership with UNiDAYS
TikTok has collaborated with UNiDAYS, a student verification platform, to authenticate student status across more than 6,000 universities. This partnership ensures the credibility of the Campus Verification feature.
Privacy Considerations
While Campus Verification offers a new avenue for students to connect, it also raises digital privacy concerns. The feature is optional, allowing users to decide whether to link their academic affiliations to their TikTok profiles. Those who prefer to keep their student life separate can opt not to add their school information.
Comparative Insights
This development comes amid reports that Instagram tested a similar feature, enabling users to display school information and graduation year on their profiles to connect with fellow students. The current status of Instagram’s initiative remains uncertain.
Conclusion
TikTok’s Campus Verification feature signifies a strategic effort to deepen user engagement by facilitating real-world connections among college students. By integrating academic affiliations into its platform, TikTok aims to create a sense of community and belonging, reminiscent of the early days of social networking.
