TikTok algorithm
I’ll talk about TikTok as if I were talking about any short-video platform (it could just as well be Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts) but it’s more fun to just say TikTok and be done with it xD
I remember about ten years ago I’d eagerly wait for my favorite youtuber to upload a new video. At dinnertime I’d turn on the TV with Youtube and check my list of subscribed channels to see if there was anything new, and with that I could be entertained while I ate. What happened if there was nothing new? I’d watch an old video or take a moment to try to discover new creators, though usually without much success.
Today things are different, and a bit more unsettling. The short, vertical content that became popular has changed casual entertainment forever, maybe? It’s very common to see people eating in front of a phone stand, opening TikTok, and simply letting the algorithm entertain them with its auto-scroll. And that’s the core of what I want to talk about.
We used to be more selective; we had our favorite creators, actors, TV shows. What do we have now? Something called the feed.
The feed is what the algorithm has shaped according to trends, our tastes, and some mutation.
- Trends: By showing what’s popular, we’re always up to date and more hooked thanks to FOMO.
- Tastes: Always showing something we like keeps us entertained.
- Mutation: That little anomaly to see if the previous group needs a slight adjustment.
From an engineering standpoint, TikTok’s algorithm fascinates me; it reminds me of my genetic-algorithm classes back in university (it’s pure computation). But from a social standpoint, I think it’s complete garbage and should be deleted altogether, or at least rethought.
In a world where retaining attention is harder and harder, TikTok is a machine that makes people lazier and that scares me.