How dangerously addictive is TikTok's AI?

TikTok only needs an algorithm that can know what users need, explore each layer of the user's mind, thereby helping them release their childhood trauma, even discovering things they themselves did not know, for example. like the real sex. Meanwhile, to do the same, Facebook needs to ask users to build a profile page and provide personal information.

How dangerously addictive is TikTok's AI? Picture 1

The key to TikTok's success lies in the For You content recommendation algorithm. It helps to keep the homepage fresh so that users don't get bored, it helps keep the homepage fresh so that users get caught up in the videos, not bored.

The videos that attract the most users often have topics about gardening, cooking, etc. But there are many people who are immersed in videos about mental health topics such as autism or neurological problems. The proof is that the keyword #mentalhealth (mental health) on this platform has attracted nearly 21 billion views. The serious thing is that there is a lot of pseudo psychotic content being circulated on the platform.

According to psychology professor Inna Kanevsky, the TikTok algorithm is diagnosing psychological syndromes for users and this can change people's lives. This is a worrying thing.

The AI ​​of Amazon or Netflix is ​​also designed to guess the user's wishes to make appropriate suggestions. But TikTok's AI is different, it acts as if it will define users who they are.

As soon as a person creates a new account, the algorithm displays a series of popular videos to test their reaction to different types of content. After just 2 hours, the profile of users on the platform and their interests will be sketched.

John Bargh, a professor of psychology and cognitive science at Yale University, said that Tiktok's algorithm gives users models of the world around them so that they unconsciously absorb new knowledge.

TikTok also knows the deepest secrets of users that they themselves have not even discovered.

A Tiktok user named Joho shared that the algorithms knew he was bisexual before this person was completely true to his gender. He said that he was influenced by the algorithm on TikTok, so he made the decision to live true to his gender.

Johannes Eichstaedt, a scientist at the Stanford Institute, said that TikTok's AI is so dangerous that it will suggest users content that changes themselves. Very lucky if it is a positive change, and vice versa if someone is led into a new world in the name of "self-discovery".

However, analyzing user psychology is only a data collection step for Tiktok to make money.

The workings of the TikTok algorithm are still a mystery. In 2020, Tiktok revealed the three elements that make up their content recommendation engine:

1. User interaction on the application.
2. The content in the video that the user watches (like audio, hashtags).
3. User-related context (in which country, language used, type of device in use).

As TikTok explains on its blog, For You recommends content and videos that are personally tailored to each user. It is thanks to this personalized video display mechanism that many people are "addicted" to TikTok. This helps Tiktok become the most downloaded application in 2021, becoming the domain with the highest traffic last year.

Jessica Tanner

Update 08 January 2022