TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat are some of the most-used apps among teens. Something they have in common is their strong algorithm that connects users’ expressed interests. You may find yourself liking, sharing, and even favoriting posts online, but the app is actually using these features to get you hooked on content that you’ve shown interest in by adding more similar videos or pictures. Companies use this as an engaging tactic to keep your mind engaged with the app, releasing dopamine and getting you to keep opening it, leading to a cycle or even a routine of so-called “TikTok time” or “doomscrolling,” popular phrases for long periods of scrolling.
Axel Bruns, a professor at the Digital Media Research Center at Queensland University of Technology, said, “ Such algorithms will continue to be embedded deeply into all aspects of human life, and will also generate increasing volumes of data on their fields.” It has become the new normal for everybody, these social media apps are used by about 67% of the world’s population, and over 90% of people aged 15-50 use them. This highlights how much people rely on social media and how often they are hooked on it to meet their satisfaction.
So why might algorithms be beneficial to the user? Well, if you’re interested in baking, art, or sports, having videos pop up about those topics can offer valuable material. You could learn new recipes, techniques, or just facts you didn’t know before. So there is a benefit to algorithms, but does it limit your free thought? Are you being restricted to the same content, rather than letting your mind venture into other things? Well, you might often find yourself visiting your preferred topics rather than searching for others. This limits the creative side of your brain. A study by the Pew Research Center suggests that algorithms are increasingly embedded in society, often limiting the range of viewpoints offered and conditioning our minds to view the world through a single perspective. It has an influence that prevents your mind from expanding into other subjects, restricting you to what you’re used to. This might seem good because you’re confined to what you like, but it can harm you by limiting the diversity of the content you see.
We can see how it limits your free thought, but how can you prevent it so you don’t find yourself scrolling for hours on end? Start searching for more subjects, and like a variety of videos to help make your feed more diverse and open up a range of content. Clear your cookies and reduce the amount of data you save. Be open to new ideas and recognize when you’ve seen similar videos, so you can stop using profiling algorithms that rely on these techniques. Lastly, set timers or screen limits to reduce the time you spend on social media apps so you don’t fall into the cycle that algorithms love to get you into.
