Reflecting on TikTok

Some time ago I wrote about diving into the world of TikTok, the current web based media machine taking over the internet one vertical video at a time.

It's been fun. There are some TikTok creators that I specifically follow, but I spend more of my time on the site randomly browsing the "For You" page, which is where the TikTok algorithm feeds you a stream of videos it thinks you'll like.

When I first started, I marveled at the sheer unpredictability of the content that the site had to offer. With a shiny new account on my hands, TikTok had no idea what it thought I needed to see. Thus, I got a little bit of all of it. A random sampling of everything the internet has to offer.

Nowadays though, TikTok's algorithm has had some time to get to know me.

My For You page has become increasingly tailored to my tastes over the months, bombarding me with videos about super heroes, anime, video games, and a wide breadth of other interests like cooking, history, and science.

I was going to look for examples as I wrote this column, but this may have actually have been a bad week for this column because it seems that the recent release of "Elden Ring," a highly anticipated video game, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine have had a tremendous impact on what is trending.

Still, getting past those hot topics those, it's been interesting to see how TikTok's algorithm has adapted to my viewing habits. Oh sure, there's still the random video that gets recommended to me for no apparent reason, but by and large the selection is tailored to my interests.

Especially in that it seems really easy to create a feedback loop where the slightest bit of interaction can throw you down a rabbit hole of content.

For instance, at some point during my random browsing I came across a TikToker that specializes in funny skits about comic book characters. He was entertaining enough that I followed him, which has since resulted in my For You page getting occasionally flooded with similar creators either doing similar comic book skits or just talking about comic books. Some of them have been equally entertaining, some of them considerably less so.

Weirdly, the algorithm's fixation on the narrow range of content it thinks I'll like feels somewhat counter-productive as I kind of wonder how many videos I'm missing out on that I would be interested in watching.

Is there a sub-community of Resident Evil TikTok out there that I can't find because the site has somehow become convinced that all I want to see are comedy sketches about "Attack on Titan," a show I don't even follow?

I've been gradually trying to train the algorithm, but sometimes it feels like I'm fighting against the current.

I'm sure we've all run into similar situations with algorithm based services. Accidentally click on an advertisement for pet supplies on Facebook and you'll spend the next month getting more advertisements to support the dog you don't have. Watch one comedian's sketch on YouTube and it will be convinced that you want to see the rest of them.

I think my favorite comes from Amazon, which somehow can't figure out that when I order a video game, controller, or other accessory for a video game console, that should be a clear sign that I already own said console, not an invitation to recommend I buy three other versions of that console in different colors.

Oh, and special shout-out to Target, which will offer me coupons on household items like laundry detergent immediately after I've purchased enough to last me six months.

Algorithms can be scary good at directing you towards content that you're interested in, but they are far from perfect. People are complex, so while algorithms are good at keeping track at the binary yes/no questions of your preferences, they aren't particularly great at weighing different levels of interest. Thus, your TikTok feed, or your Facebook ads, or any other algorithmic based content you encounter on the internet ends up being something like a funhouse mirror version of your actual interests. It's a reflection of you, but distorted with exaggerated proportions.

And that's important to remember because, as we have clearly seen in recent years, it has become all too easy for some people to get caught in their own feedback loops. Social media will feed them something they might have a mild interest in and then push more and more of that on to that person until that mild interest spins out-of-control.

Algorithms can be handy, but make sure that you're the one manipulating them. Not the other way around.

Travis Fischer is a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and can't tell if more efficient algorithms would be better or worse for society at large.