How Influencers & Algorithms are Killing Social Media

Do you know what an algorithm is, what it does, and how it changes?

An algorithm is a tool that can be organized in different ways in order to be able to perform various tasks and can sometimes work well, while other times not as effectively. 

Each social platform has an algorithm that’s used for the purpose of organizing content for the user to be able to see through a more filtered way. In other words, It’s a way of displaying content so that the user can see what the platform wants them to see in a way where they’re making money from those channels.

So, how does our algorithm change? The way this content is displayed to us is organized in a way based on the accounts we interact with, posts we look at and like, and other content that we’d be interested in, including ads and content relevant to the individual and our interests. The way this content is filtered is in a way that is more personalized to the user of the platform. 

One of the numbers of problems with the algorithm, however is that the platform assumes the content provided, which in other words, they decide how much content they display to their users is the right or the appropriate amount. 

As an example, if someone is adding friends or liking more things on Facebook, their content will be watered down more, as certain other people and other interests are dropped off of their list of “prioritized” interests. So unless someone is going back and re-engaging with that content they originally liked, it typically is not brought back into their algorithm as they like other things. 

TikTok is a great example of having someone’s algorithm change quite quickly and sometimes quite dramatically. One could be looking at TikToks of a particular audio, where their entire timeline or “For You” page (FYP) primarily shows specific videos relating to or using that audio. However if one likes a video of a pizza, their FYP will most likely change to videos relating to pizza, and not so much of the specific audio that was once on the page a lot more at the time. 

Read the full article mentioned in the video, here: http://ow.ly/ZJGF30rWokp

Watch the full video where Rina and Greg discuss the algorithm in further detail: