December 21, 2022
TikTok has unveiled a new feature that will allow users to see why a specific video was recommended to them in their For You feed. According to TikTok, the new feature is intended to provide more context to content recommended in For You feeds.
The feature aimed to improve the clarity of its content recommendations. Users can access the share panel by swiping through their feed, where they’ll notice a new question mark icon called “Why this video?”
These reasons may include the video’s popularity in your region, the fact that you follow the video’s creator, or the fact that its algorithm believes the video is similar to videos you enjoy.
According to TikTok, allowing users to understand why specific videos appear on their For You page is part of an effort to achieve meaningful transparency between users and the platform. The goal of greater transparency follows years of users not fully understanding how TikTok’s algorithm works.
When you watch videos in their entirety, like and comment on them, and follow creators you like, the algorithm learns your preferences and displays similar videos on your For You page.
The sources for this piece include an article in ZDNet.
