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TikTok is set up a bit differently than most social media apps today. When a user first logs on to the app, they are presented with the “For You” page. This is a page dedicated to videos the app has algorithmically decided that the user will like based on what they have interacted with in the past.
This means that every user’s “For You” page is different. The content on this page can range from niche videos that only have a few views, to popular videos that are trending across the platform with millions of views. And the type of content being shown is always changing.
There is also a “Following” page that users can get to with a simple right swipe. This is where the user can find videos from people they have chosen to follow. These people may be friends, or they may be people found on the “For You” page that the user has enjoyed the content of and chosen to follow.
The fact is, though, that not many people choose to swipe right. The “Following” page is not utilized nearly as much as the “For You” page. TikTok wants the user to explore. They want to supply them with endless new content rather than the inevitably limited amount of content that the user’s following are posting.
The focus on the “For You” page is something that is unique to TikTok. Bigger social media apps have a form of explorable content, most notably comparable to Instagram’s “Explore” page, but these pages are not the central experience of the user. TikTok does not depend on a follower/following system, but rather curates users' content for them.
Another unique feature of TikTok is it’s content length limitations. Videos uploaded can be a maximum of 60 seconds long. This allows the user to be able to scroll through content more quickly, and not become stuck on one video for too long. It also forces content creators to be more to the point with their content, as users are more likely to scroll past a video that does not grab their attention quickly.
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