TikTok Adds Latest Conversational UI To Help Guide Its Algorithms

The impact of ChatGPT extends beyond the interface itself, with a growing variety of platforms now trying to integrate more conversational UI elements into their systems, so as to align with evolving habitual trends, which many now see as the long run.

TikTok is the newest to latch onto this, with a brand new “Customize Feed” option inside your “For You” page settings that allows you to enter in conversational guidance on what you wish to see more, or less of, in-stream.

As you may see on this screenshot, shared by Jonah Manzano, TikTok’s recent customization tool provides a straightforward text field, where you may enter in a preference, like “I’d wish to see more posts from creators I follow”, which TikTok will then use to customize what it shows you.

You may even ask it to indicate you different content for a certain time period, with the method intended to make it easier for users to be more specific about what they like, without having to rely purely on in-app engagement triggers.

Which, as noted, is more in alignment with the conversational UI of ChatGPT, in enabling users to enter in less technical queries to enhance their in-stream experience.

Which could work, and it would actually change into more crucial in all apps, as users proceed to change into more accustomed to easily asking for what they need, versus being experts in Boolean search operands. But at the identical time, one of these specificity also can result in less helpful results, because often what users think that they need, and what they really prefer, are two various things.

Meta is a very good example of this. Repeatedly, users on Facebook and Instagram have voiced their displeasure at not having a chronological timeline, at having too many Reels from profiles that they don’t follow show up in-stream, at not seeing enough updates from family and friends, etc.

All of those are valid complaints, but Meta has also shown that after they do align with such, usage generally declines.

That may additionally be an indicator of the fallacy of social media trends, in that what’s getting probably the most attention, when measuring by comments, shares, and likes, isn’t at all times indicative of what nearly all of people actually care about at any given time.  

Divisive issues logically drive more engagement, but in the bulk, those issues usually are not what’s impacting most individuals’s day-to-day existence. But that engagement then sees media organizations put more concentrate on these divisive topics, as they assist to drive more traffic, which then results in much more online discussion, and a good greater, broader concentrate on such, despite nearly all of people not necessarily engaging with it.

Research shows that the overwhelming majority of social media users don’t ever post themselves, which implies that the majority of in-app engagement is driven by a vocal minority, but isn’t at all times indicative of key trends for general users.

As such, actual time spent reading content is a greater indicator, and more indicative engagement measures like this are, step by step, where social platforms are headed, so as to guide their algorithms, versus what’s sparking more replies and shares.

The danger with guidance elements like this one from TikTok is that TikTok users will look to make use of them as a filter, which can actually then lessen their experience. But at the identical time, TikTok likely knows that a) most individuals simply won’t hassle to make use of it, and b) it’s likely not giving this element a number of algorithmic weight. So it would make people feel higher in having a say on such, nevertheless it probably won’t be as influential as they might perceive.

In any event, it’s one other indicator of the growing shift towards conversational UI, and the way it’s slowly creeping into more elements, as platforms look to merge with evolving user behaviors.

That may very well be much more relevant on TikTok, where the following generation of users are engaging, nevertheless it looks like a minor consideration at this stage.