Social media platforms’ relationship with users

by Hiral 11C

Instagram and TikTok use algorithms so tailor your feed specifically for you.

Algorithms in their simplest form:

Algorithms are a set of rules that automatically order content on a platform according to how likely it is that the user will interact and like the content. They are different to each other depending on the platform but overall, they have similar properties.

Algorithms in a platform:

All algorithms on social media platforms have ranking signals which are a set of factors that organise the content based on its value to the user. This is mainly determined by previous interactions with the app, but sometimes it is linked to other factors for example, Instagram often tells the user why they are being shown the content, e.g., “’someone you follow’ liked this post”. The platforms do vary in their ranking signals:

Instagram’s ranking signals:

1. If a brand wants to blow up on Instagram, they will need to respond to any follower interactions. This would help their content get out and increase the likelihood that their content gets seen.

2. Instagram has an emphasis on the contents’ relevance to trends, the time, and other factors

3. Therefore, an increase in popularity would depend on of the speed of interactions and to what level of engagement the users have with the content.

TikTok’s ranking signals:

1. These are partially based on previous interactions like most social media platforms

2. They are also dependant on how the user uses the Discover tab, this is where the trending sounds, topics and captions are analysed

3. Another ranking signal used is the idea that users are likely to prefer content from their own country and in their own language.

4. What sets TikTok’s ranking signals apart is that follower count for a user is not a ranking signal therefore everyone has a fair chance of becoming famous, not just the famous becoming more famous a. TikTok is designed to bring new content to the user’s phone

The future:

When algorithms are used in the workplace, for example, to narrow down applicants through their CVs, biases can occur. Algorithms are seemingly very objective; however, studies do show that when many applications are looked at, certain groups of people are privileged over others. At Amazon, an AI system was used briefly, and it was found that women’s CVs were disregarded faster creating a gender bias. Some people are trying to use this algorithmic bias to their advantage and direct it to filter people with certain political views as there is a lot of psychological research behind the reasons for one’s beliefs.

Another issue that arises is that a user’s political views could be heightened due to their feed on social media platforms. Everyone’s political view and view of their country is different because each person gets a different combination of content. AI uses statistics to align commonly associated things whilst still trying to get the user to click on adverts to earn platforms money. For example, in America around the time of the election, social media can be used to severely sway people’s decisions which can obviously have a great deal of repercussions. Research has been conducted to show that often in a large online political debate, there are some people who are swayed by what they read and there are some people called ‘motivational reasoners’ who stick to their pre-determined decision without being influenced by what they read. In every circumstance these ‘motivational reasoners’ come to monopolize the conversation and influence the other people. The thing is though, the ‘motivational reasoners’ tend to be algorithms. This means that algorithms are changing our beliefs, some would say that we are being brainwashed by algorithms.

However, algorithms on social media may not have that many practical uses, but they could help with safety and accuracy in the manufacturing industry, they could help with calculations in stocks etc.

Overall, these algorithms could make life a lot easier, but there is a discussion around them about their morality. Some believe that algorithms are an invasion of privacy, from the use of cookies tracking your every move on a website, collecting data, to give targeted adverts through to a for you page knowing your exact likes and dislikes. The number of times that a reel has come onto my FYP that relates to something that happened to me that day.

Personally, I believe that there’s no harm in having something track your likes and dislikes, almost all my ideas come from my FYP and I’m constantly seeing something I enjoy. This is what causes us all to become addicted, which is a separate issue, but if it is something we enjoy, then why push it away?

by Hiral 11C

Websites used: https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-algorithm/ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-022-00512-8 https://eu.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2019/09/02/social-mediaelection-bias-algorithms-diversity-column/2121233001/