This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
TikTok’s valuation remains contested, with estimates varying from US$20 billion ($31.8 billion) to more than US$300 billion, depending on whether its algorithm is factored in.
The algorithm increases the price by more than $280 billion. And what kind of algorithm? One that changes its high based on how you interact with it, to always try and get your dopamine flowing to keep you interacting longer. If it were a real substance, it would be the most addictive drug to ever exist.
Wtf, do proprietary algorithms actually cost this much?
I mean, have you seen how effective Tik Toks one is?
Oh thank God, I thought the economy was about to collapse or something.
Cool, another app I won’t download and will look sideways at whoever does.
If I see its userbase consists of gen z and younger I will be very disappointed.
I'm sorry but you're 100% going to be disappointed
You’re right, I should set my expectations now.
He is really so dumb
Wasn't the whole thing about China scooping up loads of data?
So give a copy of that data to one of the worlds largest advertiser/online markets and license behavioural data from the "baddies". Yeah, that'll fix everything.
Everybody loses.
Wasn't the whole thing about China scooping up loads of data?
No
They've admitted it was about gaza
If not user data and network security concerns, what? Why the ban/sale song and dance?
People were opposing the Gaza genocide which is a joint American isreali project
It's about content delivery, i.e. the CCP having direct control over what content (i.e. propaganda) is sent to Americans on the platform via their proprietary algorithm (with all the source code heavily guarded in mainland China).
Controlling people's media experience to push political propaganda that helps powerful people and harms individuals - that seems really shitty.
I can't think of any app developer or political party who would do that.
(This is an attempt at surrealist humor.)
Political points.
Also money, which are just political points in tangible/fungible format
Control over what messages can be removed?
It was about the weaponization of the algorithm whereby China could incite Americans to act against the nation in a time of crisis or war.
Don't fumble this loops. Now is the moment.
Loops...kind of sucks. I get the point of it, but I tried using it like 15 minutes a day for a couple weeks to get used to it, but the features are lacking and the content is...well it's filled with people who would abandon tiktok and other apps, so, it's kind of boring.
Not in a 'there's no brainrot' way, in a 'this is the third video in a row of just random AI slop and then it's just some dude filming a tree for 20 seconds'.
Bootstrapping is definitely going to be an issue. There was news they are supposed to have federation working and released tomorrow. Right now there's not even a client in the play store so I haven't bothered with it.
People bitch about the algorithm but it's actually pretty nice having things you're more likely to enjoy come to you than having to try and hunt them down with nothing but a very poor search function.
I want it to recommend me shit I would probably enjoy; I just don't want it to recommend me shit in an attempt to brainwash me with their agenda. Barring that, get a better search function. Utilize tags and categories. Allow users to tag others' videos because you can't expect the uploader to think of every possible connection it could have.
I want to like Loops, but it's 90% random nature shots that don't need to be videos and finding anything else is a PITA.
Surely US investors won't harvest data and/or enshittify the product!
Honestly, I don't who would be the better owner of Tik Tok at this point..
lmao
