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A decent amount of TikTok "videos" are just computer generated voices reading screenshots of funny tweets and reddit comments. I think there's probably a way t

A decent amount of TikTok "videos" are just computer generated voices reading screenshots of funny tweets and reddit comments. I think there's probably a way that text can be built into the app that works alongside what's there and makes it a more interesting experience than just looking at screenshots.

4O4 3y ago
This is very untrue. It's just your personalized feed that is filled with that, because you happened to watch just enough of them to let the algorithm know you're interested. Other people see one of these videos and just swipe down immediately and never see one again. Please don't try to guesstimate the amount of content on tiktok in any given category just by your personal experience, because it's heavily biased because of just how the platform works.
- numpad0 3y ago
  There has to be something about TikTok algorithm that it won’t work with quick readers/addicts/those in “the spectrum”. It wasn’t TTS but last I tried I too got series of uninteresting content. The system just didn’t register my fulfillment.
- drusepth 3y ago
  You can scroll through the "Discover" tab which has depersonalized trends across the whole app. I just took a quick scroll through and it seems like at least ~5-10% of videos trending right now have text that take up >50% of the screen. There's been at least a few recent trends over the past few weeks that have been almost entirely text (beige flags, all the greenscreen text trends, #groupchat, etc). Anecdotally, I also see clusters of text-only posts every few weeks, even though I always either pause to read or scroll immediately through.
  - zoogeny 3y ago
    I would argue that "5-10% of videos trending right now have text that take up >50% of the screen" is a huge moving of the goal post from the original claim in this sub-thread: "just computer generated voices reading screenshots of funny tweets and reddit comments". I definitely used to get videos with walls of text that are obviously trying to game the algorithm by getting you to read an essay to increase watch time. Once I habitually scrolled away from them I stopped getting them. That isn't even related to the claim of voices reading screenshots of tweets or reddit comments. I absolutely believe that videos exist where there are text-to-speech readings of tweets or reddit comments and that the commenter referencing them sees a decent amount of them in their own feed. But I do not believe they represent a "decent amount" of the majority of TikTok users feeds.
    - drusepth 3y ago
      I guess it depends on what you consider a "decent amount". Within the overall context of whether text posts would be popular or not on TikTok, 5-10% of globally-trending posts being text-heavy seemed like a decent amount to me but YMMV. But, you are right that I was talking about text posts in general rather than directly responding to the videos about reading text from reddit/twitter that this subthread was discussing though. I see those often but I don't see them currently trending.
- RandallBrown 3y ago
  Aren't you also generalizing how much content is in a category based only your personal experience?
zoogeny 3y ago
> A decent amount of TikTok "videos" are just computer generated voices reading screenshots of funny tweets and reddit comments. Not for me, I get exactly zero videos like that. I always chuckle when I read someone say "Most videos on TikTok ..." since they seem totally oblivious to the fact that there isn't a single TikTok experience. You get what you get and I get what I get. It reminds me of an older guy I know who stated in front of a bunch of young men "All of the videos on TikTok are scantily clad 13 year old girls doing dirty dances". It was second-hand cringe embarrassing. I think baby boomers, gen-x and a decent portion of millennials still think of social media as being broadly targeted like TV stations used to be. Even YouTube doesn't come close to the insane customization of TikTok.
- rchaud 3y ago
  Ever heard of first impressions? Not everybody is going to spend time tweaking some invisible algorithm. If it doesn't show them what they're looking for, why should they stick around? It's not like people sign up to Tiktok to keep in touch with friends. Somebody new to YouTube is going to think there's nothing on it besides Mr Beast, iPhone reviews and culture war nonsense, because that's what the front page shows to a signed out user. I imagine Tiktok is similar.
  - zoogeny 3y ago
    > Not everybody is going to spend time tweaking some invisible algorithm Well, there are exactly two options with TikTok. Either you use the app or you don't. If you don't use the app then you probably shouldn't be making definitive statements about what content is on the platform. If you do use the app then it will quickly (I mean within less than 1 hour of use) customize itself to your preferences. There is no "tweaking". Just by interacting with the app (swiping up on videos, viewing comments, allowing videos to replay, etc.) So if you have been on TikTok for roughly 1 hour or more then you are getting a significantly customized experience that almost no one else on the platform is going to get. That isn't true on YouTube or really any other kind of media experience that existed prior to it. That is why older internet users can't really reason about it effectively and tend to make statements that sound out-of-touch to younger users.

4O4 3y ago

This is very untrue. It's just your personalized feed that is filled with that, because you happened to watch just enough of them to let the algorithm know you're interested. Other people see one of these videos and just swipe down immediately and never see one again. Please don't try to guesstimate the amount of content on tiktok in any given category just by your personal experience, because it's heavily biased because of just how the platform works.

numpad0 3y ago
There has to be something about TikTok algorithm that it won’t work with quick readers/addicts/those in “the spectrum”. It wasn’t TTS but last I tried I too got series of uninteresting content. The system just didn’t register my fulfillment.
drusepth 3y ago
You can scroll through the "Discover" tab which has depersonalized trends across the whole app. I just took a quick scroll through and it seems like at least ~5-10% of videos trending right now have text that take up >50% of the screen. There's been at least a few recent trends over the past few weeks that have been almost entirely text (beige flags, all the greenscreen text trends, #groupchat, etc). Anecdotally, I also see clusters of text-only posts every few weeks, even though I always either pause to read or scroll immediately through.
- zoogeny 3y ago
  I would argue that "5-10% of videos trending right now have text that take up >50% of the screen" is a huge moving of the goal post from the original claim in this sub-thread: "just computer generated voices reading screenshots of funny tweets and reddit comments". I definitely used to get videos with walls of text that are obviously trying to game the algorithm by getting you to read an essay to increase watch time. Once I habitually scrolled away from them I stopped getting them. That isn't even related to the claim of voices reading screenshots of tweets or reddit comments. I absolutely believe that videos exist where there are text-to-speech readings of tweets or reddit comments and that the commenter referencing them sees a decent amount of them in their own feed. But I do not believe they represent a "decent amount" of the majority of TikTok users feeds.
  - drusepth 3y ago
    I guess it depends on what you consider a "decent amount". Within the overall context of whether text posts would be popular or not on TikTok, 5-10% of globally-trending posts being text-heavy seemed like a decent amount to me but YMMV. But, you are right that I was talking about text posts in general rather than directly responding to the videos about reading text from reddit/twitter that this subthread was discussing though. I see those often but I don't see them currently trending.
RandallBrown 3y ago
Aren't you also generalizing how much content is in a category based only your personal experience?

zoogeny 3y ago

> A decent amount of TikTok "videos" are just computer generated voices reading screenshots of funny tweets and reddit comments. Not for me, I get exactly zero videos like that. I always chuckle when I read someone say "Most videos on TikTok ..." since they seem totally oblivious to the fact that there isn't a single TikTok experience. You get what you get and I get what I get. It reminds me of an older guy I know who stated in front of a bunch of young men "All of the videos on TikTok are scantily clad 13 year old girls doing dirty dances". It was second-hand cringe embarrassing. I think baby boomers, gen-x and a decent portion of millennials still think of social media as being broadly targeted like TV stations used to be. Even YouTube doesn't come close to the insane customization of TikTok.

rchaud 3y ago
Ever heard of first impressions? Not everybody is going to spend time tweaking some invisible algorithm. If it doesn't show them what they're looking for, why should they stick around? It's not like people sign up to Tiktok to keep in touch with friends. Somebody new to YouTube is going to think there's nothing on it besides Mr Beast, iPhone reviews and culture war nonsense, because that's what the front page shows to a signed out user. I imagine Tiktok is similar.
- zoogeny 3y ago
  > Not everybody is going to spend time tweaking some invisible algorithm Well, there are exactly two options with TikTok. Either you use the app or you don't. If you don't use the app then you probably shouldn't be making definitive statements about what content is on the platform. If you do use the app then it will quickly (I mean within less than 1 hour of use) customize itself to your preferences. There is no "tweaking". Just by interacting with the app (swiping up on videos, viewing comments, allowing videos to replay, etc.) So if you have been on TikTok for roughly 1 hour or more then you are getting a significantly customized experience that almost no one else on the platform is going to get. That isn't true on YouTube or really any other kind of media experience that existed prior to it. That is why older internet users can't really reason about it effectively and tend to make statements that sound out-of-touch to younger users.