The TikTok algorithm was/is (guess it’s back up, but not going back after the Trump messaging) really good about picking smaller niche videos. I had never really thought to get into spinning my own wool until I saw people working with dog hair brushes to card. Lots of recycled/punk/broke bitch crafts, which is a good way to glue me to the phone.
I think algorithms can be good, there just isn’t much incentive to make them good. TikTok has really good discovery features, but it also wants to show you Family Guy clips next to video game footage so that you’ll shut your mind off and buy something.
I don’t think algorithms are inherently bad, honestly I think the lack of an algorithm holds the fediverse back. On lemmy, sorting by popular creates an okish feed, enough to familiarize yourself with different comms, but on mastodon and the like, it can feel empty. While algorithms are associated with corporatism, an opt in adapted to fediverse sensibilities algorithm, could make some fedi apps more accessible.
That is definitely the appeal. My friends who use apps with algorithms like tik tok tell me that is the reason they use the apps. I can’t blame them. Those algorithms showed me loads of obscure musical artists that are still my favorite today (and that is a good thing for indies/small businesses who don’t have much money for ad spaces). There is a lot of good reasons for algorithms like that, the problem is the data necessary to make them work and what other stuff they do with it.
I like the fediverse because there’s no algorithm feeding me crap.
But from all the memes I’ve seen about people’s “Chinese spy” perfecting their feed. I guess normal people love the algorithm
The TikTok algorithm was/is (guess it’s back up, but not going back after the Trump messaging) really good about picking smaller niche videos. I had never really thought to get into spinning my own wool until I saw people working with dog hair brushes to card. Lots of recycled/punk/broke bitch crafts, which is a good way to glue me to the phone.
I think algorithms can be good, there just isn’t much incentive to make them good. TikTok has really good discovery features, but it also wants to show you Family Guy clips next to video game footage so that you’ll shut your mind off and buy something.
I don’t think algorithms are inherently bad, honestly I think the lack of an algorithm holds the fediverse back. On lemmy, sorting by popular creates an okish feed, enough to familiarize yourself with different comms, but on mastodon and the like, it can feel empty. While algorithms are associated with corporatism, an opt in adapted to fediverse sensibilities algorithm, could make some fedi apps more accessible.
That is definitely the appeal. My friends who use apps with algorithms like tik tok tell me that is the reason they use the apps. I can’t blame them. Those algorithms showed me loads of obscure musical artists that are still my favorite today (and that is a good thing for indies/small businesses who don’t have much money for ad spaces). There is a lot of good reasons for algorithms like that, the problem is the data necessary to make them work and what other stuff they do with it.