I think your title is prescient. The algorithm is amazeballs at engaging content, TikTok has been linked to even worse outcomes in teens, and the Chinese govt limits their own youth strictly.
It’s much more like a drug (or to lean on the paranoid side, weapon) than normal social media.
US social media companies have clearer objective: sell ads, make money, go public etc.
With Chinese govt involvement ByteDance has murkier intentions, and I can’t help but be reminded by another nation’s foray into social media in 2015-2016.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/teen-girls-are-developing-tics-...
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58625934
It’s much more like a drug (or to lean on the paranoid side, weapon) than normal social media.
US social media companies have clearer objective: sell ads, make money, go public etc.
With Chinese govt involvement ByteDance has murkier intentions, and I can’t help but be reminded by another nation’s foray into social media in 2015-2016.