Even with a ban, the impact of its algorithms will continue.
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TikTok is an artificial intelligence application. Not a “let the robot do the homework” type of AI application, but an AI application nonetheless: its algorithms process and act on large amounts of data to keep users engaged. Without this foundational, finely tuned technology, TikTok would be nothing — just another video or shopping platform.
According to the Supreme Court's decision earlier today, the app will be banned in the United States. But as my colleague Hana Kiros wrote in an article, the legacy of its algorithm will live on atlantic monthly Yesterday: “While it’s not the first app to offer an endless feed, nor the first to use algorithms to better understand and target users, TikTok combines these ingredients like never before.” The The application is very effective - so sticky- Every meaningful competitor has tried to copy its formula. TikTok-like feeds are now integrated into Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, X, and even LinkedIn.
Today, artificial intelligence is often associated with generated Artificial intelligence has captured the world's imagination thanks to ChatGPT. But generative AI remains a largely speculative endeavor. The most widespread and impactful AI programs are the less flashy ones, sitting quietly in your pocket and impacting culture, business and (in this case) national security issues in very real ways.
The Internet now is TikTok
Hana Quiros
Sometimes, when I'm deep into scrolling on my phone, I tilt my head and realize I'm not even sure what app I'm using. A video takes up my entire screen. If I slide my finger down, another one appears. The feeling was disorienting, so I looked for small design cues around the edges of the screen. The thing I was staring at could have been TikTok, or it could have been one of those other social apps that looked exactly like it.
While it's not the first app to offer a constant stream of information, nor the first to use algorithms to better understand and target users, TikTok combines these ingredients like never before. It aggregates what every app wants: lots of time that many users spend scrolling, scrolling, scrolling (ideally past ads and products they will purchase). In recent years, every other major social platform — Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, X, even LinkedIn — has copied TikTok’s format. The app may be banned in the United States, but we're still living in a TikTok world.
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polystyrene
Algorithmic feeds have clearly had a profound impact on the way people receive information today. In times of disaster and political conflict, this can be unsettling. As Charlie Worzel writes atlantic monthly Yesterday, “the experience of logging in and consuming information through the algorithmic morass of our feeds has never been more frustrating, commoditized, confusing, and unhelpful.”
— Damon