TikTok Alleged To Be Self-Preferencing Its Shop Platform
Among the live streaming videos and influencers pitching products, TikTok’s algorithm on the platform increasingly pushes users toward TikTok Shop through non-branded searches like “running shoes.” This is similar to what many have accused Google of doing — self-preferencing its own platforms.
The most recent self-preferencing allegation came from Yelp when it filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google in a California federal court in San Francisco in late August. The company alleged self-preferencing of Google’s search offerings after Yelp has spent years in public lobbying against the practice.
Damian Rollison, director of market insights at search marketing and technology platform SOCi, said “TikTok’s algorithm looks for more passive signals like if you watch a video all the way to the end, you’re more than likely to see similar video content.”
The algorithm also takes note if someone watches shorts more than once, or follows a creator and comments on a post.
As a result of these passive signals, he said, TikTok is a little more like “turning on the television and being happy with whatever comes up,” despite the algorithm being effective at pushing the user toward specific interests.
“The passiveness makes it more addicting and compelling,” Rollison said, highlighting the focus of organic discovery.
This is different in comparison with X, for example, where the algorithm takes note of users who share posts with friends.
X owner Elon Musk recently wrote in a post on his platform that if the actual reason a user forwarded the content to friends was because they were outraged by it, “we are currently not smart enough to realize that.”
Rollison said “outrage” is an engagement signal, and “these platforms are happy to promote outrage because it makes people watch more videos and click on more link. The algorithm doesn’t care if your happy or mad.
It would be advantageous for any platform to have a better understanding of user intent. Google has poured billions of dollars to figuring out the difference in meaning for words like “pip” or “cougar,” for example. Even amidst all the changes based on AI, intent remains one of the most important signals.
The share of Americans who support the U.S. government banning TikTok now stands at 32%, down from 38% in fall 2023 and 50% in March 2023. In fact, U.S. adults are skeptical or unsure such a ban will occur, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted between July 15 and August 4, 2024.
U.S. president Joe Biden signed a bill in April requiring ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, to sell it or face a ban in the U.S. The company has challenged this, and lawsuits are headed to the courts.
(0)
