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There's nothing inherently special about TikTok. It just happens to be the hot social media platform right now. There were plenty before it and there will be pl
by paxys 2y ago
There's nothing inherently special about TikTok. It just happens to be the hot social media platform right now. There were plenty before it and there will be plenty after it. There will be a short period of adjustment and eventually everyone will move on to something else. People aren't going to stop listening to music or buying things.
- KaoruAoiShiho 2y agoAre you sure about this? I've heard many many times that tiktok is uniquely good at discovery for new businesses.
- ty6853 2y agoThat would be a very good reason why a corporate influence dominated government would want to shut them down.
- notatoad 2y agoyeah, tiktok really was (is?) something special because unlike other platforms, their algorithm really increased people's reach out beyond their own community. youtube shorts and instagram reels seem like they do the same thing on the surface, but they're so much more focused on showing you content that they are certain you'll like, and from people in your network or people who you normally watch. they're a whole lot more focused on keeping people in their existing content silos.
- dleeftink 2y agoIt's the exact reason the platform economy has gotten such a bad rep over the years; drawing people in, taking a (disproportionate) slice of the pie, and providing no guarantees for a sustained income upon disruption.
- paxys 2y agoBecause TikTok is where the hip young demographic is. If they all move to say Instagram Reels en masse then Instagram will be the platform that is uniquely good for discovery among that audience. And let's not pretend that TikTok is filled to the brim with high quality products and small businesses. Yes there may be a couple of feel good stories about a local pizza place or small band that got their big break because of TikTok, but 99.9% of the advertising there is for the same junk/scam products that are on every other influencer-driven app.
- t-writescode 2y agoHow many times has YouTube recommended a your next video something with zero comments and maybe 10 views. I cannot count how many times minute I’ve been the first to see or comment on a TikTok video. It let small creators be shown to lots of people in a way no other platform does.
- wilg 2y agoYouTube does this for me relatively frequently.
- t-writescode 2y agoGenuinely glad to hear it. I almost always get something I’ve already seen before when I let it auto-play.
- wilg 2y agoi don't know if it does it on auto play, i typically see a "rising video" in a top slot on the homepage. i think its also based on what it thinks you might like so not everyone may get them.
- t-writescode 2y agoI explicitly disabled YouTube’s and extra layers of tracking. Ironically, it should still be able to track off my upvoted and playlists, it just doesn’t, unless it’s playing on my TV and then suddenly it can again and that’s when I sometimes (though only hours and hours later) get new stuff.
- wilg 2y agoif you don't save your watch history, yeah, it probably doesn't bother using you for this feature
- forgingahead 2y agoThis is a typical HN "marketing is stupid" post. TikTok organic and paid are some of the best drivers of leads and sales for businesses, same like FB and Google are as well. Handwaving TT away as "another social media platform" is like comparing Friendster or MySpace with the ad machine that FB has built. There are countless businesses that will be impacted by this.
- AlexandrB 2y agoI would be happy if all social media was wiped out tomorrow. The eagerness of advertisers to throw money at these platforms frankly sickens me. So many of the internet's current ills originate in how social media platforms operate. I don't give two shits how many leads these platforms drive, just like I don't care how many farmers the tobacco industry employs.
- forgingahead 2y agoIndeed, let them eat cake!
- johnneville 2y agotheir algorithm was inherently special imo. as well as their ad service. instagram seems like the biggest available replacement but it is so offputting for me subjectively with it's worse algorithm and increased and ill-matches ad placement. some of the fediverse alternatives seem appealing but have less content. i'm sure something will replace it if the ban remains in place but at the moment there's nothing nearly as good for me
- aprilthird2021 2y agoBut that's not the point. There's nothing inherently special about Facebook either. But the disruption is expensive and many would argue unnecessary.