Written by Foram Shukla
Checking my screen time at the end of each week and seeing how much time I've spent on social media, seems to be my most dreadful activity. However, I can't help but notice that TikTok, in particular, receives more of my time than the others. With all of the time I've spent scrolling through the app, it's become just as personal as the notes app on my phone, and this personalisation is what sets TikTok apart from all the other social media platforms.
TikTok's main feed is the For you page. Where in the beginning, the content being shown seems generic: videos of people dancing to a popular song with millions of likes, celebrities, and absurd 'pranks' - average, boring content. As you begin to watch and interact with videos, you'll find yourself submerged in a niche you've co-created with the platform's well- known algorithm; without any conscious involvement from you. Making it more difficult to break out of this vicious circle.
We think we know everything there is to know about algorithms, and when these algorithms are discussed, it's usually in the context of engagement and what creators need to do to get their content on the For you page. However, we know very little about them in reality, since there is much more that needs to be brought to our attention.
Through my research, I found that all social media platforms share three goals: the engagement goal - to drive up the usage and keep you scrolling, the growth goal - to keep you coming back and inviting friends who invite more, and the advertisement goal - to make sure as all this is happening, money is being made through advertising. These goals are powered by algorithms, making them successful.
When reaching out to some TikTok users to find out why these personalised algorithms are so popular and successful, I discovered that the algorithm's popularity stems from the catered algorithm's ability to make users feel like they're part of a community with similar interests; Creating a sense of belonging - and as we start to believe that this algorithm knows and “understands” us when it does its job of connecting us to people, and shows us exactly what we want to be shown, we fall into a completely unique content spiral; which can be increasingly damaging in the long run.
If users are being exposed to the same type of content, nothing they watch will challenge their opinions and will simply reinforce them until they feel they are infallible. Causing or contributing to cognitive bias. This echochamber ties into the idea of “You are what you consume” but in terms of media. When you pick what media to consume, you are choosing your future thoughts, perspectives, and opinions. And if you make poor choices, you will think similarly. Everything you consume becomes a part of you, and anyone who wants to be exposed to multiple perspectives would have to go out of their way to find content, which may be hard due to their uniquely curated For you page.
Users who believe that the algorithm is solely attempting to help them, become easier to control, and they are frequently the victims of this manipulation; the algorithm begins to distort the users' sense of self, causing them to question who they are. Many users have been exposed to TikToks on self-harm, adhd, and autism. Causing them to relapse, doubt the severity of their mental illnesses or begin to diagnose themselves. Although there is no reason to seek a diagnosis for any of these illnesses, the fact that people who are presented with this content even consider them, made me realise how much validity we give our For you page since, while there is some good entertainment on TikTok, not everything is applicable to everyone.
It's not so much that the algorithm knows who we are; The algorithm tells us who we are. It reminds us what should seem relatable to us, what catchphrases we should all be using, and where we fit in. The algorithm promises to organise content into sections, but what it truly does is create identity.
This made up identity means that nobody is unique in this age of digitisation. "I've never had a unique idea or experience in my life," and "We're all living the same life," are often used in the comment section of Tik Tok and sometimes even in real life. Everything said online can be connected to or grouped into a category to which someone else can relate to.
When conducting a survey, I found that many TikTok users have similar opinions about TikTok and how TikTok influences users' sense of individuality. One TikTok user said “When it comes to tik tok, there's a fine line between the feeling of support and not being alone and the influence of large trends or groups making their way into the stream of your thoughts and affecting, whether it be subconsciously or not, your individuality.” and so “the only option to establish true individuality (if that is your goal) is to exit the sphere entirely.”
Another commented on the whitewashing and/or erasure of culture “TikTok is a hotspot for globalisation, where the more dominant Western culture can another other indigenous cultures or foreign cultures, leading to cultural erosion among TikTok viewers of different nationalities.”
Some users also mentioned the fast turnaround on trends. One user said - “Users of tik tok generally will conform to fit trends, and given they change so fast, will feel more pressure to fit in” and almost all participants either agreed or strongly agreed that TikTok's algorithm had the potential to drastically alter our behaviour and potentially harm our generation.
While the negatives remain at an all-time high, there are some positives to mention: TikTok’s privacy. TikTok users do not have to display their likes, the people they follow or their favourited videos on their accounts; while many other social media platforms do. Giving TikTok a major upper hand. Other advantages include the ability for users to interact in the comment section while the TikTok continues to play, which many users find comforting, the large variety of tools for creativity that TikTok provides, and lastly, how it is an incredible source of entertainment.
Although TikTok has successfully entertained many people, the way in which this has been accomplished should be re-evaluated. However, this argument can go both ways as some may believe a "smarter algorithm" as a replacement would work better, so users are not assigned to one version of themselves. Others may argue that rather than giving platforms more of our data to create "smarter algorithms" and allowing technology to take over our thoughts even more than it already does, we should reduce our usage but also be more consciously aware about how echo chambers are actively being created on social media, and putting our lives in the perspective of the actual world rather than the digital realm.
Written by Foram,
@f0ramm on instagram.
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