of the app and limit the types of content that
they can consume.
CHANGING THE SOCIAL GAME
Though some predict that TikTok’s success will
be short-lived, similar to Snapchat’s, others
now believe that the app has the potential to
become the new Instagram, where algorithmic
recommendations have changed the way we
consume content, constantly scrolling as we look
for something new. And that’s what TikTok has
fundamentally changed - though some prefer
the latest news and others like hand-picked
content, TikTok uses data to decide what you
should see; whether that’s rival videos or content
from friends, your behavior inside of TikTok
determines your future newsfeed, meaning
everyone has a truly unique experience.
The more you use the app, the more TikTok
learns about you - which, of course, has its
positives and negatives. The idea is that the app
will build a complex, opaque model of your
needs and tastes, and shows you more of it.
The second you open the app, it begins making
assumptions about you, and that takes the
algorithmic concepts from Facebook and Twitter
to a new level, where “filters” have previously
helped to shape what our newsfeeds look like.
TikTok is also impacting the way we think about
ourselves and our relationships with our online
personas. Whilst Instagram is focused on looking
good and using filters to shape our personalities,
TikTok is real - it requires raw video footage,
encouraging us to let our hair down and show
the world how we really look and behave. That,
too, has sparked viral trends and crazes like the
TikTok Dance Challenge, where people show