this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2023
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I'm convinced this whole tiktok is manipulating the algorithm thing is actually US propaganda.
Here's how you actually "manipulate the algorithm."
1: take up residency in the comments, and at the same time start a few basic accts that don't say anything too controversial (day in the life kinda stuff, thirst traps, etc). Establish a basic presence
2: once you amass a following, you start with pretty basic stuff lots of young people agree with - housing/healthcare reform, work reform, etc
3: an important part a lot of people miss - have your own team troll your comments. Stir up shit. The goal is to get people riled up, not move the needle in any specific direction
4: throw out something big (it's been confirmed that Russia is behind distribution on TikTok of OBL's "Letter to America" recently). Fight on both sides, tagging in as much of the greater sphere of commenters as you can.
That's it. That's all anyone's doing. Just do this over and over and you eventually drive people crazy.
They did the exact same thing in 2016, they did it in 2020 with BLM, they did it with Ukraine. It's nothing new
Sounds pretty convincing, but you lost me in the end. Who did "exact same thing" in 2016, 2020, and 2022? Are you implying that Russia and/or China were trying to increase the harm done to the US that way? I'm quite at a loss here
Yes. This is the new age of psychological warfare, and has been recorded occurring at these instances, among others.
100%
Russian trolling is pretty well documented at this point. They overthrew several Baltic nations and bought a lot of breathing room during the 2016 election.
It's been all over the news and stuff.
A little from column A, a little from column B?
Have you seen Chinese TikTok vs America TikTok? It’s wild. The Chinese TikTok has videos of scientists and musicians and engineers all tackling major problems. It’s inspirational. The American TikTok is absolutely fucked. There’s clearly heavy algorithm manipulation. At the very least, we know China could make American TikTok not terrible and they choose not to.
My TikTok FYP is various scientists/science commenters, stand up comedians, chubby goth girls dancing, Magic The Gathering card reviews, and swinger shit.
If you engage only with things you like, you'll only see things you like.
Yeah, Western Tiktok is just more liberal lol. If you don't like it, go and live in... China?
Stupid lizard brains are too easily tricked with tribalism and anger though. It takes a real conscious effort to curate your feed like that.
Any nuanced opinion on Gaza gets trashed because both "teams" view you as the enemy. You're always pushed towards absolutism.
I agree with the latter, but I don't think it takes a lot of effort to curate a TikTok FYP.
A lot of the best sci-fi is coming out of China these days. People who like to theorize about these things point to a population, much like America in the post war Baby Boom, seeing for themselves the benefits science can bring to their lives as China pretty rapidly develops, and being fascinated by what could be next.
So you might need to accept that the most popular trending American social media is venal and insipid because the average American wants to see venal and insipid, while the Chinese population might just be interested in things that interest them.