[amatecha]

My general view on TikTok is: why would I even remotely want to use something that's specifically designed to exploit me and manipulate me? The tiny shred of value I might experience (in the form of an occasional interesting video) is a side-effect of the service, and if they could get their value out of me and give me literally nothing at all, they would. This same perspective applies to all the centralized "social media" services out there today. None of them exist to make society better or improve the lives of anyone in any meaningful way (outside of enriching the executives and investors running them).

[JKCalhoun]

Yeah, in fact I'm trying to wend myself away from the internet generally. (Sure don't need more of that shit.)

[theshrike79]

To be frank, the TikTok algorithm is the best of all the algorithmic doomscroll machines you can use.

Instagram is trash, Youtube Shorts is complete AI puke trash.

TikTok actually seems to "know" what I like seeing and clearly learns faster than the others.

A quick test just now:

  - Video about Amiga 500 in the 90s in Finland
  - A running gag about people having a Favourite Spoon
  - A recipe for Bao Buns
  - A skit about Japanese Shisa Kanko pointing and calling method
  - Book reviews of someone's favourite books of 2025
  - Someone tried to do floor work and found a massive shaft leading down under their house

Zero ads. All were from "real" people, not content farm accounts.

Instagram reels:

  - A "family account" skit, yech
  - Ad
  - A verified account reposting other's videos
  - Another one of those
  - Ad
  - A meme account
  - A meme account
  - Ad

Not even touching Youtube Shorts, they're even worse.

[amatecha]

That's cool, but yeah I won't use it regardless (just like I won't use any of the services you mentioned). It's all for-profit centralized extractive/exploitative stuff.