TikTok Algorithm & TikTok Employees Role in Viral Content Selection

TikTok Algorithm in Spotlight as TikTok Employees Role in Viral Content Selection

TIKTOK By: Aizaz Khan January 22, 2022

Some US employees of TikTok have the ability to boost videos to "introduce celebrities and emerging creators to the TikTok community.

[{"selector":"#anim-c11b0b7c-29b5-4b9b-88c9-ff98b6028072 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":5000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}]

TikTok's "Heating" Feature:

[{"selector":"#anim-8c5c78a0-3562-4ebe-b805-e48295045cd8","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a5922d3f-738b-42b3-9da9-def0306ccb85","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(100.00000%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c9c23080-e2c6-45c5-8e96-60c3293a44d7","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-35918723-07bf-46fe-a942-68812f7f8ef8","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":250,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f02e5c0b-a641-4e04-a49c-d21b88395cd2","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(98.48484%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":250,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] 01 Allows for Selective Video Boosting The feature is called "Heating" and it can be used to put selected videos onto users' For You pages.

TikTok's Video Boosting Aims to Diversify Content Experience:

[{"selector":"#anim-5639717c-1e13-4866-9335-70b48df04b77","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e302b58d-a91e-4f08-84f7-2b0e327b4fe5","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5247460e-2d68-4828-b9ac-244e92a68776","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-100%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b8c8dcf4-8d19-437b-ac5d-afbb15386b87","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":250,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6825131d-7dee-4f5c-badd-948f0fc1685b","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(171.21207%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":250,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] 02 According to a spokesperson for TikTok, increasing views to particular videos isn’t the only reason for heating, they also "promote some videos to help diversify the content experience

Heated Videos Lack Labeling:

[{"selector":"#anim-d1621630-aa28-44e8-86e6-006b402ba537","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d028fe8e-2638-4911-bffd-ef31e755a0fa","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b231a002-5a10-4dcd-b524-b37dfbc86352","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(100.00000%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-caa5b6ba-9428-440d-a95d-02377af0c7ea","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":250,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-98c9cbb9-aca2-4019-bc86-77042b34c6c7","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(100.00000%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":250,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] 03 Heated videos don’t come with a label to show that they’ve been boosted by TikTok, they appear like any other videos that the algorithm would’ve selected for you.

Heated Videos Make Up 1-2% of Daily Views:

[{"selector":"#anim-a7ee739b-3a33-4eac-aa14-41984a2fb9f3","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-bea88346-6dce-4f7f-91db-92999101bede","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9b0af6cf-0ea4-4825-957c-a3fe3c5e2f2c","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-100%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d7a3c659-10b4-4b41-8573-d520b4a8c88c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":250,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-499927cd-a809-4e55-bd2e-7c718c529a76","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(171.21207%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":250,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] 04 According to internal document obtained by Forbes, heated videos reportedly make up “around 1-2 percent” of “total daily video views.

[{"selector":"#anim-f1031b3e-4fc1-4aef-9f7a-b991faa97cdf","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5f95c0eb-80ef-40d5-a0be-ffa9ed18ed96","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(100.00000%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-12be6386-aecf-4974-ade5-833b8d3e80c2","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":400,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-82dc255f-e5c9-49ef-b5d9-44d1936d8ac7","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(99.15254%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":400,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7ef08113-1713-4017-83be-b325f0b2fe5b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e07f37a2-99f7-48ff-a96f-95e06d5f2557","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-100%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":2500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] TikTok's lack of transparency around heating makes it hard to tell which videos got to the top organically Unfair Advantage for Certain Creators:

[{"selector":"#anim-e19db1a9-c5f3-41e6-9fe4-ff645ab81ab4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-152d276f-0050-4a20-8112-07b7fc03fa00","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-100%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":2500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-71bf10a3-e8a8-44cc-925a-1daa45d728d1","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-10c5ebe3-b88d-4f46-9dda-a363f4436e9b","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(100.00000%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2edf57a8-e0b0-47e2-8ee7-944526df16d1","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":400,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4e1ab2ea-22e3-446c-a3f3-4d329036246c","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(99.15254%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":400,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Creators might lose interest in the platform if their videos underperform compared to ones that are being boosted The report comes as TikTok is facing heavy competition from platforms like YouTube and Instagram.