Technology
With knowledge of how the
“ My hobbies include scrolling for hours .”
I saw this printed on a t-shirt . On one hand , it elicits a little chuckle . On the other hand , it makes you reflect on how you spend your time and why a lot of that time is spent on social media .
In its first-quarter earnings report for 2022 , Meta reported that Facebook ’ s daily active users averaged 1.96 billion for March , which is an increase of 4 percent year-over-year .
What keeps people logging on every day ? Are our friends and family just that interesting ? Possibly .
Or maybe the algorithm ropes us in with content that we can ’ t take our eyes off , bringing us back for more .
Traditionally , details about social media algorithms were not shared publicly . The algorithm surfaced as a kind of Big Foot of the internet era . It was portrayed as a mind-reader and a thought-pusher , with very little understanding of what it is .
However , as privacy concerns arose and as people began studying the impact of social media on our lives , platforms started to become more transparent , and the average person got a glimpse of how it all works .
In computer programming , an algorithm is a set of detailed instructions to solve a problem or accomplish a task . The algorithm is determined before any code is written or software developed . Social media algorithms , therefore , are the set of instructions for sorting content on a user ’ s feed .
Thousands of pieces of content are being published online per minute and users can be following hundreds of accounts at the same time . Algorithms are developed to shift through all this content to create a personalized feed with content that users want to see based on the users ’ online behavior , demographics and preferences .
All social media platforms , including
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Demystifying the algorithm
Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , TikTok and YouTube , have their own algorithms for deciding what is “ relevant ,” meaning which posts the user is most likely to engage in by liking , commenting and sharing . Algorithms are also used for search engine results , with the most popular platform being Google .
The algorithm collects data in many different ways , then uses machine learning and data science to analyze the it and create a persona . Then , content is curated for the user based on their persona .
In 2018 , Facebook released an update and information about how its algorithms work . Previously , Facebook used signals to determine how high these posts appeared on the users ’ news feed . After a 2018 update , Facebook announced it would prioritize posts that “ spark conversations and meaningful interactions between people ” by using an algorithm to predict which posts a user would prefer to interact with and showing them higher in the feed . This change was supposed to prioritize posts from friends and family over public content from accounts like news agencies .
There was a time when content was displayed in reverse chronological order . Until just recently on Instagram , one could scroll until they got a notification that “ You ’ re all caught up .”
In 2022 , Instagram began adding algorithmically selected content . Now , users see a constant stream of relevant content , no matter when it was posted .
On the social media app or site itself , signals are sent to the algorithm , such as when a user likes , shares , or comments on a post ; when they click on a link ; and how long they look at a post .
Data is also provided to the algorithm through connected devices , including smartphones , computers , televisions and even vehicles . To enjoy all the features offered by these devices , users must sign in using their social media or email account , enabling data to be shared across all devices and platforms .
Location data is also used to curate relevant content with the assumption that a user is interested in what is going algorithm works , content creators , businesses and influencers can use the algorithm to their advantage to reach subscribers and place higher in users ’ feeds by publishing
content that followers like to see and engage with . on nearby . Location data can be shared from other apps , such as Google Maps , shopping apps and websites that offer pick-up in-store , games , weather apps and news apps .
Smartwatches collect location data to track workouts like running , and calendar apps use location data to give users recommendations on when to leave to be on time for appointments . In addition , location can be extrapolated based on who the user follows and has as friends .
Some data are provided voluntarily by the user when they enter information for their profile or when a user signs up for a music or video streaming platform or news app and indicates their favorite genres and topics of interest .
With knowledge of how the algorithm works , content creators , businesses and influencers can use the algorithm to their advantage to reach subscribers and place higher in users ’ feeds by publishing content that followers like to see and engage with . This involves trial-and-error , studying the follower base , and keeping up with trends .
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