TikTok Will Explain Why It Recommends Certain ‘For You’ Page Content
Informing users why they’re being shown a given video.
If you’re wondering why certain types of TikToks keep popping up on your For You page, TikTok is finally stepping in to answer the question of how its algorithm works.
Based on a user’s activity on the app, TikTok says that the system recommends content based on a “combination of factors,” also accounting for what a user dislikes. Beyond that, however, little is known about TikTok’s For You page algorithm.
The app has now launched a new feature intended to bring greater clarity to its content recommendations. When swiping through their feed, users can head to the share panel, where they’ll see a new question mark icon called “Why this video?”
Tapping on the question mark will offer an explanation of why a given video was recommended, for example, if a video is popular in the particular region that the user resides in. Other reasons center on user interactions, such as any comments they post or content they watch, like or share.
TikTok says the new feature is part of its ongoing aim to “bring meaningful transparency” to users on the platform. The app plans to expand the feature in the future.
In other tech news, Google search hit its highest-ever traffic numbers during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final.
