The popular short video service TikTok said it will adjust its recommendation algorithm so as not to show users too much of the same type of content. This decision stems from the fact that social media platforms around the world are being scrutinized for their potential harm to the well-being of young users.
On Thursday, TikTok said it is testing ways to avoid exposing large amounts of content on a specific topic, such as extreme diets, broken relationships, hopelessness, and the like, to individual users to protect their mental well-being.
The popular video service, which had more than one billion monthly active users in September, said it is taking such measures to protect users who watch too many videos on sensitive topics. The company believes that there are a number of sensitive topics that can be psychoactive if obsessed with them.
TikTok will change the recommendation algorithm to diversify the user feed
TikTok offers its users access to videos on a variety of topics, from dance videos and cooking demonstrations to images of medical procedures. The service gained immense popularity in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic; when many people were forced to stay at home and look for new ways to have fun. Since then, regulators around the world have been scrutinizing TikTok and its competitors like Instagram for privacy concerns and the potential psychological harm they can cause to sensitive users, including young users.
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In September, the Wall Street Journal conducted an investigation; that illustrated how TikTok’s algorithms could push young users to focus on sex and drug content. Now, TikTok says it will provide more options for users to choose the videos they want or don’t want to watch. One of the possibilities the service is working on is the ability to choose words or hashtags; related to content they don’t want to see in their video stream.
TikTok will test a video game streaming app
TikTok is developing an application for streaming from personal computers. The new service will be called TikTok Live Studio; and will allow you to broadcast images from a variety of applications.
The service is now being tested among a small number of Western users. According to the description, TikTok Live Studio will be able to capture images in landscape and portrait modes. The details and timing of the launch were not specified.
As the newspaper writes, thanks to the new service; the company will hypothetically become a competitor to Twitch, YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming. However, many streamers use the free OBS service to capture images.
Previously, users used third-party software like Streamlabs to launch TikTok broadcasts from desktop apps. Also, some services allow you to bypass restrictions and launch broadcasts on the platform through OBS; however, enthusiasts note that the process can be unstable.
