How TikTok's Algorithm Figures You Out | WSJ

Introduction

Have you ever wondered how TikTok seems to know you so well? The popular social media platform's algorithm is often a mystery to users, but it plays a significant role in determining what content is shown on your For You page. In a study conducted by The Wall Street Journal, they delved into TikTok's secretive algorithm to understand how it learns about users' interests and influences their browsing experience.

The TikTok Algorithm

TikTok's algorithm is highly guarded and has been developed by its parent company, ByteDance, based in China. The algorithm takes into account various factors to determine what videos are shown to users, including shares, likes, follows, and what you watch. However, the most powerful signal that TikTok relies on is how long you linger over a piece of content. Every second you hesitate or re-watch a video, the app is tracking your interests and emotions.

The algorithm aims to provide a personalized experience for each user, drawing them in with popular videos and then analyzing their responses to curate their feed. This can sometimes lead users into specific rabbit holes of content that align with their hidden interests, making it challenging to escape. As the algorithm learns more about a user, the content becomes increasingly narrow and tailored to their preferences.

The Experiment

To understand how TikTok's algorithm works, The Wall Street Journal created over 100 automated TikTok accounts, or bots, programmed to watch hundreds of thousands of videos on the app. Each bot had specific interests assigned to them but did not enter those interests into the app. Instead, TikTok learned about their preferences through their actions, such as re-watching or pausing on videos with related hashtags or images.

The bots' journey on TikTok started with a selection of popular videos vetted by app moderators. As the algorithm observed their behavior, it began serving them a more personalized selection of videos with fewer moderation checks. The experiment aimed to uncover how quickly TikTok's algorithm could understand a user's interests and guide their browsing experience.

The Result

The analysis of the bot accounts' experiences shed light on how TikTok's algorithm shapes the content users see. The Wall Street Journal's bots were quickly pushed into specific rabbit holes based on their expressed interests. For example, a bot interested in sadness and depression found its feed flooded with depressive content within 36 minutes of watching. The algorithm was able to understand and exploit vulnerabilities, pushing users toward extreme concerns to increase their watch time.

The experiment also revealed that users with diverse interests could still get trapped in their own rabbit holes. Although TikTok allows users to select the "not interested" option, the algorithm can still find ways to engage and retain users with content that resonates with their vulnerabilities.

Keyword

TikTok algorithm, personalized experience, user interests, rabbit holes, depressive content, watch time, vulnerabilities, diverse interests, engagement, content curation

FAQ

How does TikTok's algorithm work? TikTok's algorithm takes into account factors such as shares, likes, follows, and watch history. The app tracks how long users linger over specific content, which helps the algorithm understand their interests and emotions.
Can TikTok's algorithm learn about hidden interests? Yes, TikTok's algorithm can learn about users' hidden interests by analyzing their behavior on the app, such as pausing or re-watching videos with related hashtags or images.
Does TikTok push users into specific rabbit holes? Yes, TikTok's algorithm aims to provide a personalized experience by curating content based on users' interests. This can sometimes lead to users getting trapped in specific rabbit holes aligned with their preferences.
Is TikTok's algorithm more powerful than other social media platforms? TikTok's algorithm has been successful in shaping users' experiences, with a significant portion of the content seen on the app coming from its recommendation engine. This makes TikTok's algorithm potentially more influential and capable of learning users' vulnerabilities quickly.
Can TikTok's algorithm affect users' mental health? TikTok's algorithm can shape users' content experiences, including pushing them toward depressive or extreme concerns. While the algorithm doesn't collect personal information or eavesdrop on users, it can still have an impact on their mental health by guiding them toward certain types of content.