There are some problems about TikTok, but it just reminds me how fun internet could be.
TikTok overtakes Facebook as most downloaded app
111–120 of 725 posts
Re: TikTok overtakes Facebook as most downloaded app
#112Re: TikTok overtakes Facebook as most downloaded app
#113I'm a huge fan of TikTok because after years of content stagnation and dullness, the internet is fun again. Especially places like Twitter and Instagram are outrage and depression inducers for me, consumed together it feels like the society is collapsing but everyone is living a perfect life at the same time. The China thing is touchy but I want the west to beat them by being better, not by being dismissive and prote…
Another thing Tik Tok does is get rid of people who are obese, queer, or otherwise the target of harassment. Their stance is it's easier to get rid of the person being made fun of or limit who can see their videos rather than the 10k people harassing them. > According to Netzpolitik, the social media company instructed moderators to find users who are “susceptible to harassment or cyberbullying based on their physica…
> TikTok apparently limited the reach of people with disabilities, including facial disfigurement and Down syndrome.
Hollywood and Youtube Originals presumably do this too, based on proportion of actors with these issues compared to what you see out and about.
Re: TikTok overtakes Facebook as most downloaded app
#114Pro TikTok take. It's easier and friendlier to consume. The algorithm is good at tailoring interests. But, it's more like TV than FB.
Con. The algorithm seems to dish out similarly structured videos for all users. For example, it generally includes music that is extremely annoying. (That "No no no" song that is on every other video). At the same time, I also recognize how addictive the app is and because of it I would never download it myself.
This is why I stopped looking at TikTok altogether. "Trends" just seem to be too enormous a use case for creators, to be avoided. I never wanted to know who Megan Thee Stallion or $NOT are, but here we are.
Re: TikTok overtakes Facebook as most downloaded app
#115I'm a huge fan of TikTok because after years of content stagnation and dullness, the internet is fun again. Especially places like Twitter and Instagram are outrage and depression inducers for me, consumed together it feels like the society is collapsing but everyone is living a perfect life at the same time. The China thing is touchy but I want the west to beat them by being better, not by being dismissive and prote…
Curious - does TikTok censor content that China would find sensitive, like the existence of Taiwan or pro Hong Kong protest content?
Re: TikTok overtakes Facebook as most downloaded app
#116The only issue I see that it can be quite addictive without proper moderation.
From tech perspective I think that it brings something new to social media world and that creates some movement in industry. Look at YouTube “Shorts”.
Re: TikTok overtakes Facebook as most downloaded app
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The China thing is touchy but I want the west to beat them by being better, not by being dismissive and protectionist. I don't think the only question is "who wins at having the most popular social network." The more concerning one is of exerting political influence through manipulative amplification/suppression (which is something the PRC has a lot of experience with). That could be both highly effective and extre…
That is a real threat, but that's a problem with (proprietary, centralized) online media in general. Which social network would you trust not to do that? Facebooks experiment on manipulating emotions comes to mind [1]. The only way to minimize these effects is to consume a multitude of media from multiple sources, so no one entity has too much influence. Balancing all the US-based social networks with some TikTok cer…
TikTok has already been found to be censoring content that criticises the Chinese government [1]. Theres a big difference between that and a nonpolitical public research project that ended up with a minuscule effect size.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/sep/25/revealed-...
Re: TikTok overtakes Facebook as most downloaded app
#118I'm a huge fan of TikTok because after years of content stagnation and dullness, the internet is fun again. Especially places like Twitter and Instagram are outrage and depression inducers for me, consumed together it feels like the society is collapsing but everyone is living a perfect life at the same time. The China thing is touchy but I want the west to beat them by being better, not by being dismissive and prote…
Another thing Tik Tok does is get rid of people who are obese, queer, or otherwise the target of harassment. Their stance is it's easier to get rid of the person being made fun of or limit who can see their videos rather than the 10k people harassing them. > According to Netzpolitik, the social media company instructed moderators to find users who are “susceptible to harassment or cyberbullying based on their physica…
On an abstract level, that sounds terrible, doesn't it?
At the same time though, I feel like this seems like the "least bad" possible solution. If a subset of accounts are only going viral because people want to bully them, it seems reasonable to limit that content's reach.
Re: TikTok overtakes Facebook as most downloaded app
#119Earlier quoted context omitted.
It’s also much more positive. If I spend 20 minutes on TikTok I usually laugh and smile a few times. And regularly I’m impressed at human creativity. 20 minutes on Instagram or Facebook is usually either boring or leaves me comparing myself to others. 20 minutes on YouTube and I feel like I’ve watched 10 minutes of ads and 10 minutes of fluff. 20 minutes on Reddit and I hate the world.
Reddit is wonderful compared to Next Door. Next Door's feed is pure trigger content and quickly escalated arguments. Super toxic.
Something more toxic than reddit? I have only seen it in sites that start as "free-speech reddit clones". Outside those I find it hard to believe anything can be more toxic than Reddit. Unless you digg really deep into niche subs even Facebook is better.
Re: TikTok overtakes Facebook as most downloaded app
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The China thing is touchy but I want the west to beat them by being better, not by being dismissive and protectionist. I don't think the only question is "who wins at having the most popular social network." The more concerning one is of exerting political influence through manipulative amplification/suppression (which is something the PRC has a lot of experience with). That could be both highly effective and extre…
What sort of manipulative amplification/suppression, specifically? Maybe a skinner box outrage machine that turns us into hostile tribes sniping over cultural crap while completely unable to govern ourselves as they surpass us?
> What sort of manipulative amplification/suppression, specifically? Maybe a skinner box outrage machine that turns us into hostile tribes sniping over cultural crap while completely unable to govern ourselves as they surpass us?
Amplifying pre-existing fault lines to encourage general weakness is certainly one that's been well explored. Another might be amplifying political or ideological that serve the foreign power's goals (e.g. general pacifism when that power is planning some kind of aggression or military build up, or electioneering messages for a candidate with a more favorable trade policy to that power).
No one could deliver particular results with certainty using any of these methods, but they could definitely put their finger on the scales.