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How TikTok's Algorithm Figures You Out | WSJ

بواسطة Wall Street Journal

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تم نشره في 2021/07/21

The Wall Street Journal created dozens of automated accounts that watched hundreds of thousands of videos to reveal how the the TikTok algorithm knows you so well. A Wall Street Journal investigation found that TikTok only needs one important piece of information to figure out what you want: the amount of time you linger over a piece of content. Every second you hesitate or rewatch, the app is tracking you. Photo illustration: Laura Kammermann/The Wall Street Journal WSJ video investigations use visual evidence to reveal the truth behind the most important stories of the day. Inside TikTok’s Highly Secretive Algorithm This WSJ video investigation reveals how the video-centric social network is so good at figuring out interests you never expressly tell it. More from the Wall Street Journal: Visit WSJ.com: http://www.wsj.com Visit the WSJ Video Center: https://wsj.com/video On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/wsj/videos/ On Twitter: https://twitter.com/WSJ On Snapchat: https://on.wsj.com/2ratjSM #WSJ #TikTok #Algorithm

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تعليقات - 664

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@ludvigehمنذ 3 سنوات “We created 100 bots” is a very creative way to describe 10 summer interns. 1833
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@chandramoulisarkar2935منذ 3 سنوات "We're training them and they are training us" well said. 521
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@rooseveltsilver3753منذ 3 سنوات The youtube algorithm is as powerful as tiktok's in landing me on this WSJ report. 743
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@rbd5868منذ 3 سنوات Apart from the content itself, the visual and graphics of this video are incredible 475
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@Gabrielgrassmayrمنذ 3 سنوات “We made a bot who is 24. He is depressed.” Haha yeah he’s still kinda gen-z 370
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@142motocrossمنذ 3 سنوات I believe not enough people are discussing the dangers of algorithms that have been tasked with “increasing engagement” 245
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@alexanderdunn9249منذ 2 سنوات This is super interesting but I would be curious to know how the “automated bots” were programmed to identify and interact with certain types of content. I’d imagine that if these bots were only looking at hashtags for example to identify a specific kind of content, this could bias the results. ....وسعت 121
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@mynameisoscaمنذ 3 سنوات Man I feel depressed watching Kentucky swipe 206
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@chrischris5337منذ 3 سنوات One thing I like about youtube is that when I use a vpn, it changes a lot of recommended content. Having lived in different countries and speaking different id="hidden2" class="buttons"> languages, that is a way to stop it from pushing only one language material on me. Now as far as tiktok goes, it's algorithm is a sticky demon, if it learns something about you, it will almost never let it go ....وسعت 74
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@SteashEditsمنذ 3 سنوات We definitely need to see a trend of having algorithms aid the users rather than algorithms dictating the users.
YouTube and Instagram already id="hidden3" class="buttons"> has me addicted deeply in their platforms that it could be my fulltime job to use their platforms while rationally I would never choose that. ....وسعت 87
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@adobegrمنذ 3 سنوات In the past our personalities were shaped by the people we met, now personalities are shaped by algorithms 14
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@julioduan7130منذ 3 سنوات YouTube’s algorithm didn’t work well. It always recommends me videos that I don’t want to watch. 86
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@savannahlevy97منذ 2 سنوات The tik tok algorithm never seemed to figure out what I like. even after weeks. It would show me some basic things like "foraging videos" which id="hidden4" class="buttons"> are kind of interesting to me, but nothing that really hit me and made me feel "at home" which I wager is what it's trying to do. At some point it started showing me animals getting abused??? Which is what made me delete it and not want to go back. ....وسعت 20
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@royasher3349منذ 3 سنوات And by watching this video till the end, youtube will give more video from WSJ (and topic about tiktok) 62
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@ypotaninمنذ 3 سنوات I'm kind of impressed by WSJ's technical capabilities. Right on. 40
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@logankesslerمنذ 2 سنوات I personally feel that these algorithms should be designed to challenge the views and opinions of people, not further confirm their biases. 19
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@alvinmangera9498منذ 3 سنوات YouTube recommending this video like we don't know they're doing the exact same thing!!!!!! 15
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@mirofeyaمنذ 2 سنوات It is totally listening and detecting all it can on your phone. My tiktok knows my period cycle, it knows when I'm hungry and when I'm in the toilet constipated. It is incredibly accurate. This is scary. 12
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@mhtinlaمنذ 3 سنوات Why does YOUTUBE serve me this video? I'm not even on TIKTOK. 9
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@matyasmattaمنذ 3 سنوات Awesome video! I really loved the data visualization, makes it just amazing! 17
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@trung170801منذ 3 سنوات Wow. This is movie-level journalism. Great job WSJ! 75
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@questionm2786منذ 3 سنوات I hate how the conversation has mostly been around TikTok when it comes to algorithms and the boxes social media puts us in, TikTok only has the best filters id="hidden6" class="buttons"> for finding interest but social media companies have influenced us way more than we realize by pushing everyone to the extremes of their interest. While they build these systems to make the most amount of money people are push more to content that sometimes has no basis in actual reality and when that is the only content you are seeing its not hard to see how that can seem exactly like reality to the user. ....وسعت 233
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@ekananda9591منذ 3 سنوات I think the most consumed drug is not coffee. It's the internet 10
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@TomNook.منذ 3 سنوات Not exactly rocket science is it? The more you watch, the more info you provide, the more accurate it is 34
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@samheedyمنذ 2 سنوات Shares likes and saves play roles in what TikTok shows you.
Tiktok also pays attention to how long you are over a piece of content, every second you are rewatching the video, the app is tracking you. 11
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@musicneverdie8874منذ 2 سنوات Thank you so much for the report related to this particular topic! 4
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@oktabramantio4709منذ 3 سنوات I still remember when we were talking about how dangerous YouTube algorithm is 6
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@sams8502منذ 2 سنوات Amazing journalism from WSJ, thoroughly impressed 3
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@ajbahlamمنذ 3 سنوات Everytime I watched a well-made video on a certain topic, Youtube will recommend me tons of bad-quality stuff on similar subjects. 24
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@reddish_orangeقبل 4 أشهر Beautiful video!
Yeah, it looks like our social media is a mirror reflecting how we see the world, and what are our most repetitive thoughts.
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@MatthPederمنذ 3 سنوات After watching this I used a burner account and only liked "thirst trap" videos. Within 10-15 min I was on "country single mom thirst trap" id="hidden8" class="buttons"> TikTok. The scary thing is I couldn't even get out of the rabbit hole since no new content was suggested. Even going to the explore page did nothing. ....وسعت 5
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@akshatjainbafnaمنذ 2 سنوات Is it worth to store the Engagement for each and every video? Like are the returns Higher than the cost of storing the Engagement of each user on each id="hidden9" class="buttons"> video? Or does it directly store all the Hashtags of the video that the person watched for longer time? It might also delete the first entered data after for example some 100 hashtags but I am intrigued, can anyone explain the data modeling of tiktok? ....وسعت 1
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@martianmerit4285منذ 3 سنوات I dont know Tiktok but Fb is really scary.
I made a private call to a new person yesterday and right the evening I received a friend recommendation id="hidden10" class="buttons"> of that person. The funny part is that he is not my friend. I called him personally for dental appointment.
Fb is creeping on us everybody ....وسعت 49
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@neveroddnoreven1553منذ 3 سنوات Good experiment. Some great insights. It's highly concerning that the algorithm reinforces your interests or what content has the highest watchtime. id="hidden11" class="buttons"> More depressing content might not be what you need if you're depressed. But at the end of the day these algorithms are built to keep users on the platform. Social responsibility needs to be affirmed ....وسعت 34
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@j.trulyrandomمنذ 3 سنوات Most users do indeed have more broad interests which prevent the algorithm from being overly curated on one topic. Obviously, the algorithm would eventually id="hidden12" class="buttons"> give you what you want but not before trying to give you popular videos ....وسعت 11
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@CrossedSabresCODمنذ 3 سنوات This video is only half of the equation. You need to demonstrate why data collection has consequences. Many people have no concept how this affects them personally. 8
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@homo-sapiens-dubiumمنذ 3 سنوات Open Algorithms is an important idea and good approach to tackle this situation, I hoped they would go deeper into it. 15
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@adiyatulizyan8192منذ 2 سنوات Hi Wall Street team, thank you for posting the video. It is scary to view that TikTok just needs to take mere seconds to recommend a user a video of their id="hidden14" class="buttons"> interest and 90% prove that it is effective. One thing I find interesting is that by just programming a bot TikTok can track the interest of the bot via the time spent lingering on the particular video, identifying the user and audio, and the use of hashtags in the particular video. However, based on the video I notice that the use of hashtags enables TikTok to understand their viewers better and compile videos based on the hashtags mentioned. The use of hashtags enables users to discover the content easier and allows them to participate in the conversation. In the case of TikTok, hashtags are used to gather information about the user and use the information to recommend videos that are similar to the hashtags being used. Overall, I find this video interesting about the platform analyzing their user’s behaviors and patterns to help cater to them based on their interest. ....وسعت 1
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@jonasbiermannمنذ 3 سنوات What's the name of the published paper or is the data available somewhere? Great video btw 3
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@CaesarAugustus.منذ 3 سنوات How does the algorithm know if something is a cat video, dance video, or depressed video? It’s not like you have to hashtag or categorize what you post. 5
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@VenarioMoviolaمنذ 3 سنوات I'm happy this app is not available in our country 3
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@alexwintermeyer2265منذ 3 سنوات Sadness and depression are NOT the same thing. One's a feeling the other an illness 4
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@Carcosaheadمنذ 3 سنوات Now I’m interested in how those “bots” work 4
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@kbhasiالعام الماضي One thing I noticed, not on TikTok but with TikTok videos reposted to YouTube Shorts, is that the person creating the video would put the end of the video id="hidden16" class="buttons"> at the beginning, which I believe is done so that one view would instead count as two if the views are counted at the beginning of the video instead of halfway through. ....وسعت
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@alixnight5318منذ 3 سنوات I can't believe I just realized you could say you don't like stuff on Tiktok 1
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@abaqus5946منذ 3 سنوات What are apps supposed to optimize for other than showing people what they like to see? 2
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@gamezswingerالعام الماضي Superb video! Eye opening. Thank you for sharing.
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@skyak4493منذ 3 سنوات Engagement focused AI is to train machines to prey on humans. 13
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@BenHuntsmanمنذ 3 سنوات Excellent content yet again from Joanna Stern 2
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@MsMrMapleالعام الماضي Recently, I checked my phone for battery use. The highest was Tiktok! I NEVER use it, and I did not install to app on purpose (I probably clicked something id="hidden17" class="buttons"> by mistake on twitter). Seems to me tiktok is gathering info even when you are not using it. I did scroll tiktok for about an hour a couple of years ago on my browser on my laptop. I decided it was going to be too distracting for me, so I just didn't do it. I did not knowingly install it on my phone, and never opened the app on my phone! ....وسعت 1
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@KhanPiesseONEمنذ 3 سنوات The Tiktok algorithm served me a video about this video and so I went into youtube to watch it. Ah, we truly do live in strange times. 9
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@Rizhiy13منذ 3 سنوات , this methodology seems so flawed. If you only vary one thing between accounts, then of course the algorithm will differentiate by this one thing. The algorithm might be picking up on a lot of different stuff, but because you only alter one piece of behaviour, that will be the only signal. ....وسعت 5
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@asheru9254منذ 3 سنوات Advocating for Tik Tok algorithm transparency because its own by Chinese company when Google and Facebook has been doing the same thing, colecting our data 7
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@timyjoned7783قبل 9 أشهر Pausing + external keyboard data + microphone is a deadly combo
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@Dwika34منذ 3 سنوات Did wsj really create 100 bots that is able to do all of this? Im really interested how they created and coded it 5
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@Fingolfin3423العام الماضي If you use TikTok, stop. Delete the app and never touch it again. The sad thing is that too many people are literally addicted to it. It's a drug. 2
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@cabilingchadrickjoshuav.5116منذ 3 سنوات i had the urge to double tap the screen while watching this video 1
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@helloworld9044منذ 3 سنوات I would be interested to know how hard it is to exit from the rabbit hole. Like if you are overcomming depression, how much time will it take for tiktok id="hidden21" class="buttons"> to stop showing you depressing videos. Or if you no longer believe in Q-anon ....وسعت 2
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@gold9994منذ 3 سنوات Person: Watches dances
Algorithm: This guy likes dances
Person: surprised pikachu face 3
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@scattagainالعام الماضي Recently, TikTok has updated their terms and conditions to allow them to track camera and microphone information to further optimize their algorithm id="hidden22" class="buttons">
For example, before this change, it would be a small struggle point for the algorithm to find out which "type"of funny content you like, but now by just tracking your reaction such as smiling or laughing, it can understand you more than you do yourself ....وسعت 2
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@anandbagaria9447منذ 3 سنوات Ironically, If WSJ made a similar video about the YouTube Algorithm the video would've been taken down. 2
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@importantnameمنذ 3 سنوات great business model: give people what they want 57
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@nathanaelmasuka7685منذ 3 سنوات Funny coincidence. I was on TikTok, and i decided to hit YouTube to watch this video specifically but when i scrolled just one time before closing TikTok i saw a video about this video 1
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@rawkrXbabeeمنذ 2 سنوات I was happy with the niche content I was getting for a while in 2021, a lot of self-help, some astrology (even though I don't really believe in it, id="hidden24" class="buttons"> its fun), fashion, and makeup. But then I got a new phone and didn't download the app so I was off of it for about 6 months, I just got it again and I hate it. I'm on filter tiktok? Like just a bunch of people using different face filters. I deleted it last week, honestly best thing you can do if you have any mental health issues or are just trying to better yourself is to delete it. ....وسعت 2
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@FilipeFBarbosaمنذ 3 سنوات TikTok select content for me in more ways than hashtags or music they know what kind of people I want to see if they should have piercings or tattoos. They select content in more secret ways than Instagram can. 1
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@posthocpriorقبل 6 أشهر A guess: when you sign up for a TikTok account, each user is assigned a random baseline based on age and IP location. That is, the model uses a poisson id="hidden26" class="buttons"> point process model that assigns each user a random covariate vector which has a normalized coefficient. This covariate vector correlates to the coefficient of each video's covariate vector. Success in the algorithm, then, is defined as narrowing the range of the user's experience on TikTok so that each video use is within the maximum parameters of the covariate vector. This is done by a recursive algorithm that randomly assigns videos based on what the users watches and stops to look at it. The random process of selecting videos, then, should be narrowed and correlated with the coefficient of the covariate vector. (This means, I think, each video needs an enormous amount of data on how it relates to each other video in this correlation matrix. This is the key -- not the algorithm -- and I'm not sure how TikTok does it well enough to insure accurate results.) ....وسعت
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@Livingincoastalsandiegoمنذ 2 سنوات Powerful. It's all about money. The longer you stay, the more ads are shown to you.
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@MahdeeMushfiqueKamalمنذ 3 سنوات I had to watch an ad of tiktok before watching the video 1
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@xdgaming4393منذ 3 سنوات its hard to escape it but i managed to 2
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@thetenyaiidaمنذ 3 سنوات this is what I want people who hates tiktok for being 'cringe' to know: you are what you consume. If the app still serves you cringey videos after using it for some time, then maybe you're cringey yourself. 34
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@lukecwolfمنذ 3 سنوات I'd like to see more information about algorithm bias towards geographic location. Having used a VPN and lived in a few countries, I like how your id="hidden28" class="buttons"> geographic location can change my YouTube and Twitter recommendations. Snapchat and TikTok have been a sticky trap, I can't seem to get out of certain kinds of recommendations ....وسعت 1
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@qwertyouriopمنذ 2 سنوات And then all that data is sold and you get the most personalised ads ever.
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@nickwey214منذ 3 سنوات Dude, it's just a machine learning algo, Tiktok did the best because they got more data and hired more engineers to polish it. 12
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@NovelNovelistمنذ 3 سنوات I love TikTok because it's algorithm is so good at showing me content I like, but absolutely you sort of have to moderate your own attention to keep id="hidden29" class="buttons"> it from sending you down rabbit holes you don't want. Like on YouTube I watch a ton of science, politics, and social issues videos -- but I don't want ANY of that on TikTok because I'm just there for lighthearted entertainment, so I make it a point to swipe away from those topics as soon as I identify them even if I'd otherwise be interested elsewhere. ....وسعت 21
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@dunny2210منذ 3 سنوات I wish my wife knows me as well as TikTok. SMH 5
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@rainysuggest4247منذ 3 سنوات Am I the only one who knew it already, and had from 200 to 5000 followers on tiktok in 3 days ? 3
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@mytexasdays1526منذ 3 سنوات Golden corral has all you can eat buffets. After a few times there you choose the same few items. No different than algorithms. 1
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@Peeps40836منذ 3 سنوات Ok, that dog video was actually pretty cute. 2
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@user-qi9wz6iu9xمنذ 3 سنوات I wonder how tiktok handles those date by the user.
We cannot dismiss this point so need to monitor from now on. 1
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@NextFuckingLevelمنذ 3 سنوات That kentucky "bot" is a person.. there's no way a low code bot could be that advanced 1
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@robsteele2087منذ 3 سنوات What do we want our robots to do if it's not learn our preferences and cater to them? 1
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@pavelviltresمنذ 3 سنوات Interesting. But how is this different from the other Social Media, such as Facebook? 1
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@jaredspencer3304منذ 3 سنوات Is the algorithm really that great? All my searches are for EDM, psychedelics, and golden retrievers, yet my FYP feed is only ever 1) 20 year old blonde id="hidden30" class="buttons"> women with 0nlyF@ns accounts or 2) 30 year old blonde women advocating for mens rights. It's like the algorithm only ever tried to make an initial guess based on my demographic information and never actually updated anything based on my user behavior or content interaction. ....وسعت 2
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@ardentdfender4116منذ 3 سنوات Just imagine the Social Manipulation programing that can and will eventually take place as almost everything is eventually knows about you. 3
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@hawaii3231منذ 2 سنوات Doesn’t every social media platform give you more of the content you interact with? Whether you like/comment or not.
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@aridoshi68116منذ 3 سنوات The algorithm doing very well it provides what I want to watch ❤️ 4