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The Users of this Social Media Platform are Unhappy About a Deluge of Unwanted Content; Here's Why

TikTok Shop's aggressive promotion is flooding users' feeds with irrelevant content, including an experiment where a used pencil livestream attracted over 1,200 viewers.

BY SAHIB PREET SINGH

PUBLISHED JAN 25, 2024

A mobile phone featuring the TikTok app is displayed next to the American flag | Getty Images | Photo by by Cindy Ord

Struggle of balancing commerce and content

Attendees stand outside the TikTok booth at the Tokyo Game Show 2022 | Getty Images | Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi

TikTok has primarily been known as a platform for content creators, but now sellers also have a place on it's newly launched online marketplace. But in a recent development, TikTok's new feature TikTok Shop has been flooding the "For You" pages of users with an overwhelming number of promoted posts and livestreams, often featuring items which add no value.

TikTok's aggressive promotion strategy

Since its full-scale launch this fall, TikTok Shop allows virtually anyone to set up a store and begin selling products. The platform has been attracting sellers and buyers with substantial discounts and offers of free shipping. However, this aggressive promotion strategy has led to a significant change in user experience on the platform, and not in a good way.

The experiment: Selling a used pencil

Highlighting the extent of this issue, New York Magazine's John Herrman conducted an experiment. Herrman listed a used mechanical pencil for sale at $1 and launched a live stream to sell it. Despite its lack of value and Herrman's minimal follower base, the stream attracted over 1,200 viewers and received 157 likes. Herrman's experience, as he discovered, was far from typical, outperforming 99% of similar accounts. This shows how TikTok's algorithm heavily favors marketing content through its e-commerce features.

Impact on user experience

Users have been complaining about the change this deluge of content has made in the quality of their TikTok experience. Unlike the platform's traditionally accurate content prediction algorithms, the TikTok Shop seems indiscriminate in the content it presents to users, often showcasing items in which they have little to no interest. This shift has led to frustration among users who are now encountering an increasing number of irrelevant or low-value product streams and posts.

E-commerce representatives take calls from on-line customers in the L.L. Bean call center on "Cyber Monday," | Getty Images | Photo by Joe Raedle

Seller's advantage and viewer's dilemma

For sellers, TikTok's current strategy offers a significant advantage. One content creator mentioned that a post with a Shop link garnered almost a million views, a stark contrast to their usual 2,000 to 3,000 views. But the platform's focus on promoting its Shop feature seems to compromise the curated personalization that users once valued.

The future of TikTok Shop

TikTok's move into e-commerce reflects a growing trend of social media platforms integrating shopping features. However, the platform's current approach raises questions about the balance between enhancing e-commerce opportunities and maintaining a quality user experience. As TikTok continues to evolve, it will be crucial for the platform to find a middle ground that benefits both sellers and viewers without compromising the personalized nature of the user feed. The barrage of promoted e-commerce content on TikTok highlights the challenges social media platforms face when integrating commercial features. While it opens new avenues for sellers, it risks alienating users who come for personalized content. TikTok's challenge will be to refine its algorithms to better balance its commercial aspirations with the user experience that initially drew people to the platform. The outcome of this balancing act could have decisive implications for the future direction of TikTok and similar platforms venturing into the realm of integrated e-commerce.