TikTok Announces New Features and Programming for API Heritage Month

TikTok has announced a range of new features to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, including a showcase of API creators as part of the next stage of its ‘Trailblazers’ program, as well as new in-app stickers to enable users to take part in the event.

The main focus is TikTok’s Trailblazers initiative – TikTok has selected 12 API creators to take part in this year’s promotion, each of whom will be featured in the app throughout May.

As explained by TikTok:

“This year’s API TikTok Trailblazers are creators who are shaping entertainment, culture, content, and trends both on and off of TikTok. They were nominated by the TikTok community for using their platform to educate, entertain, and advocate for the API community. Throughout Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, our 2022 Trailblazers will share their stories and showcase the #APIFamily through creator spotlights and LIVE programming.”

It’s the second year that TikTok has run its API Trailblazers program, which is an important initiative in helping to showcase different communities and cultures to the app’s billion-plus users.

TikTok will also host a range of live-stream events throughout the month, within which it will highlight API-owned SMBs and non-profit organizations, while it’s also sharing stories of its own employees from the API community.

TikTok will also highlight music playlists that feature API talent, while it’s also adding new stickers that users can add to their content to participate in the event.

TikTok’s been working to establish better connection with a range of communities, and to use its platform to showcase different cultures and movements, to help facilitate understanding and inclusion on a broader scale. The app is hugely popular across various regions and cultures, and that gives TikTok a great opportunity to play a role in facilitating such connection, and celebrating diversity where it can.

This new initiative is just another step in that push, and it’s good to see TikTok looking to showcase a broader range of creators, of all different types, within the app.

TikTok’s API Heritage Month programming will run throughout the month of May.