TikTok and the globalisation of China Model
This year, we saw the rise and rise of TikTok. It has become one of the fastest growing social media apps. However, many people describe its content with words like ‘vile’, ‘cheap’, ‘shocking’ etc. I had known of TikTok and seen its content in memes but as more and more people around me started showing it off to me; I got intrigued and wanted to study it as a product.
So, I downloaded it and to my surprise, no account was needed. This was not an usual social networking app!
It was content which was right “For You” according to TikTok algorithm, no friends, no colleagues, no interests, no they don’t matter!
The more I used it, I realised I was spending more time on it consuming as the content would become more irresistible. Even though, I was not getting any value out of it other than having a good time. And this thought kept coming back until I realised why.
TikTok has the same addiction mechanisms that one gets from cocaine. It is very hard to be off cocaine, the more you have it, the more you want it, it becomes very hard to control the amount you consume, which leads to an overdose. …but you do have a good time!
So I went ahead with my analysis of the app and found the four pillars on which the app rests. These mechanics of engagement innovated by other companies have never been used together making it a formidable force.
Endless, autoplaying videos
The videos are short, so even if the content isn’t something you like, it will end soon. It prevents you from leaving the app.
The super easy skip
Don’t like a video just flick it from anywhere on the screen. There is no button to click, no icon, nothing. The barriers for interaction have not just been dropped, they just don’t exist. Even a monkey could master it!
Always be training
Every skip, time spent, replay is analysed and taken into account will training the algorithm which picks videos “For You”. This is not hearsay, but a fact based on network activity of the app.
Surrender to AI
This is the biggest shift in app design or media I have ever seen. The app does not want you to see content from people you follow. No, it wants you to surrender to its AI and see what it thinks is right for you.
The app has two distinct feeds, one is Following and the other and the default one For You so every time you open the app, you land on the AI curated content
Never in the history of mankind and media, has an algorithm controlled the media at such a large scale.
One may say, Facebook does it too but I would argue that Facebook uses your friends, your pages, your likes etc. as signals to personalise its content. Sure there are ads which are forced on us but they are the ads and not the content. On TikTok, your signals was derived from your actions. A day might soon arrive when it starts using the front camera to analyse your emotional quotient to tailor content for you. And this is where I see culture affecting how technology is built.
TikTok, is a Chinese app. The Chinese government emphasises on the use of technology while failing to validate whether the technology works as advertised or what repercussions could that technology have.
Be it, its One-Child Policy, use of CCTVs, Face Recognition tech etc are all fuelled by the notion that technology always works for good and the leader is always right. And this, culture is clearly visible in the UX of TikTok. Starting with its addiction inflicting endless video stream to its use of AI to force content what “they” think is correct for you.
Isn’t this how the Communist Party works where they think they know better?
The moral question is should we trust our subconscious signals as a guide or should we use our conscious aspirations? Sure, subconscious signals might be correct, but they are signalling our present state. But as humans we can dream the future, and be better versions of selfs. At least that’s the dream, the aspiration, to make world a better place! ;)
TikTok shuts that human emotion of aspiration and forces us to submit to our addictions and watch what the master thinks is correct. What we watch effects our psyche and giving control of that is dangerous. If we thought, Facebook and Twitter were destroying democracy by becoming tools of propagandists, TikTok is an even lethal tool as it controls what you see more firmly and also more opaque.
Therefore it comes as no surprise that the company is the most valued startup as it will be a great tool for advertisers.
The internet has mostly been run by western companies with liberal values and a strong civil society which tries to emphasise on the greater good and long-term effects.
Contrary to it, TikTok’s vision is shallow and focussed only on increasing engagement rather than meaningful engagement and it could be because of the culture it grew out of.
As TikTok grows and a number of copycats emerge, it will be interesting to watch if TikTok can outgrow the Medellín Cartel, as both are in the business of addiction. The only difference being Pablo Escobar didn’t target kids as aggressively as TikTok has.
