For users who get tired of the videos offered in the “For You” stream, TikTok will test a way to start from scratch.
TikTok will experiment in the coming days with a new button called “Refresh” (“Refresh”), capable of resetting the algorithm for selecting videos on the “For you” page. The announcement was made by the company to the American media The Verge. Such a function could appeal to users wishing to access more diversified content… or hide their appetite for certain types of content.
TikTok’s recommendation algorithm is based on user history, time spent on each video, searches, likes, and interactions. The “For You” feed automatically displays videos that may appeal to the user based on their habits. Which can get boring.
By pressing the “Refresh” button, TikTok will display more diverse content and not based on the user’s past activities. One way to cancel his previous interactions: the recommendation algorithm will only take into account new activities, recorded a posteriori, to offer him new videos in the “For You” feed.
Towards more personalization
Initially, the test will only be available to a small number of restricted users. TikTok announced in December that users will soon be able to find out why a video appears in the “For You” feed, with the “Why this video” button. Users can already click “Not Interested” to stop seeing videos from a specific creator or with certain hashtags.
The Chinese social network, which could soon be banned from the United States, was singled out in January because of the possibility, for certain employees, of making any video viral.
