Why has that video been recommended in your ‘For You’ TikTok feed? It’s been a mystery (that’s our story, and we’re sticking to it) but from now on the famous feed is getting more transparent.
A new feature enables TikTok users to tap on any ‘For You’ video’s share panel, then a question mark icon, to see why it was recommended to you. “We tried to make the technical details more easily understandable by breaking down reasons like: user interactions, such as content you watch, like or share, comments you post, or searches; accounts you follow or suggested accounts for you; content posted recently in your region; popular content in your region,” explained TikTok in its announcement.
The company’s recommendation algorithms have been one of the topics causing it regulatory headaches this year, particularly around concerns that younger users showing interest in (for example) videos about suicide, self-harm, eating disorders or conspiracy theories will be shown more of the same.
‘For You’ transparency is a good thing for users, but TikTok will be hoping it also helps to placate politicians and regulators.
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