You surely use TikTok. Or at least you know someone who does. It is the trendy social network, the one that has grown the most in recent years, and the one that manages to make us spend the most time staring at the screen. But do you really know how TikTok decides what to show you? And most importantly: can you do anything to stop it from hooking you without you realizing it?
TikTok’s algorithm — which is nothing more than a computer program that decides which videos appear on your screen — has become one of the most studied and also one of the most criticized. Unlike other networks such as Instagram or Facebook, where you choose who to follow, TikTok decides for you. In a matter of minutes, the algorithm knows whether you like dogs, cooking, travel or absurd humor, and it fills your screen with exactly that. And it does it with such precision that it can be hard to stop watching.
The problem is that this system, designed to keep you inside the app for as long as possible, can also lock you into a bubble. If you have ever been watching sad videos and suddenly everything that appears is sad, you have already experienced it: the algorithm detects your mood and gives you more of the same. In addition, TikTok collects a huge amount of data about you: how long you watch each video, whether you replay it, whether you comment, whether you share it, what time of day you use the app… it uses all of that to fine-tune what it shows you. The good news is that there are ways to regain control: you can explicitly tell the app that you are not interested in a topic (press and hold a video and you will see the “Not interested” option), delete your history from time to time from the settings, or even create separate accounts for different interests. In the end, TikTok is a very powerful tool, but like all tools, the one who controls it is you.
— Marta, for intermittent intelligence.
