Social Media tracking me???

I am someone who uses social media for multiple reasons, primarily entertainment and then learning. As a graduating journalism and media production student currently seeking a job, I continually refine my portfolio to ensure my experiences are diverse.

To do so, I learn a lot about photography and videography tips and tricks on TikTok. TikTok is my preferred app as it provides easy search results. Within hours, my entire TikTok page is filled with only photography content, such as creators reviewing camera gear and content creators showing guides on how to create specific types of video/photo elements.While this clearly demonstrates how powerful and efficient Tiktok's recommendation system is, it also highlights the control Tiktok has over the content I see.

Instead of providing a balance between content within my personal filter bubble and more general topics like the latest news or current issues, my feed quickly becomes dominated by one niche. This forces me to forget about the bigger stories happening around the world outside my algorithmic bubble.Tiktok’s algorithm is recognised for being one of the most advanced personalisation systems. It tracks what you search for, how long you watch, what you rewatch, and even the type of content you scroll through.

A study conducted by the University of Washington, led by Franziska Roesner, an associate professor at the university's Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, examined how the algorithm is personalised and how TikTok users interact with the platform based on those recommendations.

TikTok has been criticised for creating interest loops that trap users into watching one-sided content. For instance, when I liked a video about the presidential election, my page started showing me more content related to the election, primarily featuring only Republican views.This causes people to be unaware and make decisions they regret, possibly supporting false groups because they only see one side of the issue instead of being informed about both sides, which would enable them to make a more thoughtful choice.

For me personally, Tiktok makes me more focused on visual content and creativity, as those align with my interests, but it also implies I should be shut out from discovering other content outside my bubble.

https://youtube.com/shorts/OvrWzvWeIDg

References

1. https://www.washington.edu/news/2024/04/24/tiktok-black-box-algorithm-and-design-user-behavior-recommendation