shades fills you in

Everyone wants to know how TikTok’s algorithm works. Entrepreneur explains the basics: It uses AI and a bunch of data points to gauge your interest in different topics, then serves up what it thinks you like!

The NYT, in 2021: Internal TikTok docs show the algorithm is built 1. to keep users on the app, and 2. to keep them coming back. But that’s not anything new! TikTok is so good because of the massive amounts of data *we* feed it

But The Guardian says there is something unique about TikTok’s algorithm -- It doesn’t just show you what it knows you like, but also what it thinks you *might* like. It experiments a little to see if something sticks

Mashable: Sometimes it can feel like the algo knows you better than you know yourself. This writer said TikTok knew she was bisexual before she did -- and she’s not alone

The Atlantic: We read a lot into our TikTok For You page, and think of it as a reflection of ourselves. And in some ways, it is! But when your feed turns up unpleasant or gross videos, it can really make you reevaluate

Vogue says the algorithm is more like a horoscope or tarot reading than a personality test. It doesn’t really know you, it’s just making educated guesses -- and how much you read into that is totally up to you

Wired: Today, people treat the algorithm the way people used to treat Freud’s psychological theories -- as if they’re some mystical, divine truth. But that’s nonsense! A machine can never truly understand the “chaos of human experience”

Financial Times thinks TikTok’s algorithm is getting worse: Sometimes your feed is just full of stuff you hate and don’t want to see. And fixing your FYP can be a huge headache

Wired (again) says the algorithms are definitely changing -- and it’s a sign of the “enshittification” of TikTok. Now that TikTok’s trapped so many users by giving them what they want, they can start showing people what *they* want them to see

For more on TikTok promoting certain videos, check out our tile on TikTok’s “heating tool” here

Fox News has another concern: The Chinese government is using TikTok to manipulate American users by serving up harmful videos while its Chinese counterpart, Douyin, promotes Chinese success

Vice is also worried about harmful content. TikTok’s algorithm is scary good at showing vulnerable teens content about eating disorders, self-harm, and suicide