TikTok Lets You Find Out The Exact Magic Behind Your ‘For You Page’

Ever wondered how particular videos get chosen to appear on your ‘For You Page’? Well, you won’t have to be kept in the dark much longer, as TikTok has announced it's rolling out a new feature that will reveal why videos are recommended to them. 

The social media platform says its system currently recommends content based on a series of factors, ranking which videos should pop up on your feed according to your activity on the app, or eliminating topics you’ve indicated you’re not interested in. 

In the coming weeks, users will be able to select a question mark icon labeled with ‘Why this video’ within the share panel. After which, they’ll see all the reasons that video made it onto their FYPs. 

Naturally, algorithms are pretty technical, so TikTok has tried to make the magic behind its technology easier to understand by breaking it down into various reasons. 

For example, one reason a certain video pops up on your timeline may be due to the accounts you follow, content posted nearby, or based on user interactions within the app, like comments you posted or videos you previously liked. 

The network says the upcoming feature is one of the ways it’s planning to “bring meaningful transparency” to the platform, in addition to measures such as highlighting which content categories cannot be recommended, tools to customize feeds, and other resources. 

[via Mashable and TikTok, cover image via Boumenjapet | Dreamstime.com]