tiktok heating.
forbes uncovered tiktok’s secret “heating” tool. tiktok employees use it to push the content wants users to see. many tech companies push content to users, but that content is labeled
- heated video views make up 1-2% of the total daily amount of video views
- tiktok uses this feature to push brand and creator content. this means content on the app that features partnerships w/ tiktok could have a better chance of showing up on users’ feeds than unaffiliated content
- initially, the heating feature was probably used to promote diff kinds of content on tiktok, as part of its rebrand away from lipsync and dancing videos
searchengineland.com wasn’t a fan: artificially distorting the # of views a video gets on tiktok confuses valuable marketing data. it feels like “cheating”, not heating
- the heating feature could lead to brands partnering w/ certain influencers who don’t actually have the outreach that their heated videos would suggest
- misleading data on tiktok could lead to brands looking elsewhere to promote their products
the verge wasn’t shocked, tho: reports have circulated in the past that tiktok promised to promote the content of certain brands and politicians. other social media giants boost content artificially, too
- in the past, ppl have claimed that tiktok promised promoted content to get more ppl to use the app
- heated content is still a problem for tiktok -- if influencers and creators feel like they’re getting screwed over by the feature, they may choose to move to youtube shorts or other social media sites
futurism had a similar reaction: it’s not shocking, but it’s still concerning. the heating feature just adds to tiktok’s sketchy vibe
- even tho tiktok says the feature isn’t a big deal, it’s still concerning given tiktok’s china ties
- tiktok refused to say if chinese employees heated content to u.s. users, but given tiktok’s history of promoting pro-china content, it’s safe to say that probably happened
- public criticism of tiktok is probably well deserved
the forbes journalist behind the article spoke on the heating tool. she said the problems that people have with the heating tool could be mostly solved if tiktok just labelled heated content. watch the interview here
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