Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by Milank 1410 days ago
It's true that you can find useful content on TikTok.

But, let's be realistic - percentage of people using TikTok to learn something is... probably negligible.

But there's an example on how the technology can be used in good purpose.
2 comments
mal-2 1410 days ago
Yeah I don't have numbers to back it up so I can't say for certain. I wouldn't agree it's negligible though, because I often am served educational content that's not an interest of mine (eg nutrition, DIY repair, writing). So the algorithm knows that content is desirable to some users, but is testing if I'm personally interested. Anecdotally I am constantly hearing friends talk about stuff they 'learned on TikTok'. Qualitatively, the content consistently seems more serious and useful than content I see on YouTube, Twitter, or Reddit. So my experience of TikTok has been that it's a mixture of entertainment and serious discussion. I think that balance is a large part of why it's so engaging.
link
cwkoss 1410 days ago
Do you have any basis for your negligible statement?

About half the videos I watch on TT are 'educational'

link
Milank 1410 days ago
Ok, I must take a step back. I have only my personal feeling to back the claim. And that doesn't mean much, considering the fact that I barely ever used TikTok.

So you might be right. My kids (6 and 8) told me a couple of times about life hacks that they saw on YouTube. And that's the only place they visit online, even that being restricted to less than an hour a day on average.

So yeah, new generations might be using that content a bit differently from what I thought.

If true, that is great news.

link