Social media has all kinds of trends and platforms, and this means the technology you use everyday knows what you like: it knows when you’ve been naughty; it knows when you’ve been nice. What about bad or good?
It’s hard to believe how, with simple swipes and clicks, social media can intrinsically know each individual’s tastes and curated interests. Whatever is trending is what makes social media and its algorithm work. Not everyone is going to get the same content; it’s based on your interests.
In a virtual survey carried out by the Sheridan Sun in March, users shared their opinions about social media.
First, it is important to know how much time is being spent on these platforms. Because that’s how smart the algorithm can get. More views equal more knowledge. Seventy-eight per cent of those surveyed said that they go online every time they’re bored, meaning they loose count of how often they check their feeds; 14 per cent go online between four and eight times per day, 7 per cent say that they go online between one and three times per day, and nobody said that they never go online.
The second part of the survey results explore about trust and online content.
Most users said that they trust the content, but will confirm the information elsewhere.
The factors that users think influence algorithm choice are as follows:
The results are: “gender”, 71 per cent; “nationality”, 42.9 per cent; “age”, 64.3 per cent; “the country that you are in the moment”, 71.4 per cent; “posts interactive with”,7.1 per cent; “everything, but mostly what you talk about in the room with your phone or what you search”,7.1 per cent; and “viewing time”, 7.1 per cent.
These results show an overview of the subject and how trends can get to you.
If the users are on their phones more than they can remember, they are giving information constantly, feeding the algorithm. They’ll know how to get the content they like and how biased it can be.
“I’m on social media daily,” said Shauntae Bailey, a Sheridan student.
“I communicate with friends and family on different platforms.”
Even though these platforms are being used mostly for entertainment, it is important to remember that they were created to communicate with people.
So yes, most people spend their time watching content, but they also build and create relationships via social media.
Infographic by Yubin Yeon.
The algorithms of different platforms create a version of each person and what they like or see.
Axie Scott, a young woman who spends a lot of time online, explained: “The algorithm definitely represents my interests. Liking one video relating to a topic I’m interested in makes it so that every video or post I get is related to that topic.”
Shauntae and Axie live in Toronto. They are around the same age and have Sheridan as an intersection point. Would they have the same for-you page on TikTok?
Shauntae’s algorithm looks like this, “Fashion trends are definitely a thing right now!
Different creators show ways in which you can be fashionable and warm at the same time during the winter season.
“I’m currently really into people recommend books and looking at detailed reviews,” says Axie. “I enjoy watching people share their beauty hacks, such as new ways to style hair or makeup trends.”
Two people who don’t know each other, with many similarities but completely different personalities, are probably seeing the same videos; they are interacting with the posts – liking them, sharing them, commenting on them.
Who knows you better than you know yourself? The algorithm does.
Video by Izabel Mensah.
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