Does The TikTok Algorithm Really Change?

Does the TikTok Algorithm Really Change?

It’s commonly said that the TikTok algorithm has an update every month, but does it really? 

What does an algorithm update even mean??

Don’t worry this newsletter is still all about the viral video breakdowns, but today in the lab we are going to be discussing this subject because there is a lot of misinformation out there. 

To begin with an algorithm is a string of code with different variables and values.

In the case of TikTok, the algorithm equation and processes a piece of content goes through are complex, which is why there are so many misleading thoughts around it. 

The TikTok Algorithm Simplified is:

Plike x Vlike + Pcomment x Vcomment + Eplaytime x Vplaytime + Pplay x Vplay

This simplified version of the algorithm was leaked from TikTok’s “TikTok 101” which are documents that explain how the algorithm works and is given to their employees within the company. 

Explaining each variable and what they mean/what they do would be another topic and would have to be another post. 

Let’s observe TikTok’s goals as a company and how that breaks down and fits in with the algorithm. 

We see in this framework that the overall goal is to obtain active daily use and retain people on the platform. Why would the algorithm which measures the engagement, change? 

An algorithm is a form of measurement that allows TikTok to measure and bet on the content that keeps people scrolling. 

You know what changes? People. 

People get bored, new things happen, old things stop happening, etc. 

The algorithm or let’s say the “ruler” doesn’t change, the people watching the content do. 

As platforms age so do the core demographics, and content that was once enjoyable isn’t enjoyable anymore. 

Unless TikTok makes a huge company pivot, much like Instagram is doing. Where there is an adamant focus on the move to video. 

Nothing in terms of the platform has changed, it’s just the audience. 

It took me a while to understand this since social media sometimes can stop feeling social when you are creating professionally. 

Just remember there is a person on the other side of the screen, and the algorithm is there to measure content to keep them there. 

They change and so the algorithm adapts. 

Focus on getting reactions, and hitting emotions because… 

What the algorithm deems good is always changing.