Karl Higley, a recommender systems engineer who previously worked at Spotify, said that without access to historical data — data about what TikTok’s users swiped, tapped and lingered on weeks or months earlier — a new, Americanized TikTok might essentially need to start from scratch. What’s it really like to be an Influencer…. Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday, Report: Quibi shutting amid pandemic struggles, Hunter Biden saga dominates online debate, America's poor health is jeopardizing its future, "We're a 2-year-old company operating with the expectations of a 10-year-old company," said Michael Beckerman, TikTok's vice president in charge of U.S. public policy. And most of the important decisions about TikTok’s operations and strategy have been made by executives in China. is that the more data you have, the better your algorithms generally are. Over the years, social media apps have adapted their algorithms numerous times, affecting how likely your content is to be shown, and how likely your target user is to interact with your posts. Everyone understands that content is king, and this applies to TikTok, good content = social success. ", TikTok executives gave reporters a virtual tour its new ". During this time, we studied the patterns and behaviors of the algorithm … It’s certainly possible. (I once fell into a delightful rabbit hole of TikTok dances by multigenerational Chinese families.) It’s this page which will have you scrolling on the toilet till your legs go numb (come on, we’ve all been there). It could also accelerate its plans to let popular users earn money from the platform. And if TikTok is acquired by Microsoft — a company not historically known for its youth appeal — creators could sense that it’s time to move on. Getting under the skin of any social media algorithm is the bread and butter for any social media marketer or brand out there. Other times, it could mean using data from one country’s users to inform another country’s recommendations. “While we do not comment on rumors or speculation, we are confident in the long-term success of TikTok,” she said in an emailed statement. Content that gets less than that 1/10 like to view ratio will stop growing. "We want to take a leadership position and show more about how the app works," he said. !” I hear you cry…. Hannah, this is everyone…. “One of the things about TikTok is they’ve been able to make lots of changes really fast, and people are open and receptive to that,” Mr. Green said. The big picture: Beckerman says that TikTok's transparency efforts are meant to position the company as a leader in Silicon Valley. In the real sense, TikTok is a platform that brings the social media app experience to an entirely new level. But, there’s a new kid on the block, TikTok – and its algorithm has made it easier to go viral than any other platform. On Monday, the president — acting as a combination of investment banker, regulator, and back-room mafioso — said he would approve a bid by Microsoft for TikTok’s U.S. operations, provided that both parties meet his as-yet-unspecified demands and hit a Sept. 15 deadline. How it works: TikTok's algorithm uses machine learning to determine what content a user is most likely to engage with and serve them more of it, by finding videos that are similar or that are liked by people with similar user preferences. When a video is uploaded, TikTok shows it to a small number of users in between popular trending videos. Those people are attracted to TikTok partly because the platform gives them a way to reach a mass audience.