just did my tiktok wrapped and wdym i spent over 90 min a day on tiktok in 2025 😭😭

there was a study done around the rise of eating disorders in rural fiji once TVs became more prevalent, even impacting people who didn’t have TVs at home. in the same way, tiktok is shaping public discourse and thought even for those not using the platform, as one of the dominant social platforms for those aged 18-34. it’s important to have transparency into what content niches you are being fed by the algorithm, and who benefits, because it has an impact not only on your life but the lives of others around you. tiktok is different than other social media platforms in that it is an “interest graph,” rather than a “social graph” (ie, on facebook and instagram you are mainly served posts from people you follow; on tiktok, the algorithm decides who to amplify). this means that the platform wields great power in terms of advancing hidden interests. for example - users are served more pro-CCP content on tiktok than anti-CCP content, although anti-CCP content gets more engagement, indicating some sort of algorithmic thumb on the scale. additionally, a study has shown that heavy users of tiktok are more likely to have more favorable views of china’s human rights record, as well as to view china as a travel destination. also, with tiktok recently striking an agreement where the US version of tiktok will be majority owned by american companies (including oracle and silver lake), there is also a question of how tiktok’s algorithm could serve american corporate and political interests, especially because the US joint venture will oversee content moderation on the platform. i think it’s fascinating and extremely powerful that TEEs could offer users better transparency into how the algorithm is subtly or not so subtly shaping our viewpoints, as well of those of the people around us. tiktok wrapped by feedling is a good jumping off point, and the potential for this technology to give users agency in the age of disinformation and algorithmic influence is immense.