TikTok parent ByteDance denies its secret algorithms create filter bubbles

“The one metric that matters for Douyin is long-term user retention,” he said.

TikTok and Douyin have captured the attention of more than 2 billion users worldwide by tailoring each person’s content feed according to their viewing interest. ByteDance’s powerful, yet secretive, algorithms are considered so valuable that the Chinese government has stipulated that they cannot be sold to foreign entities.

However, such algorithms have also stoked concerns that users are only exposed to information and opinions they agree with, generating what are known as filter bubbles or information cocoons.

Li described ByteDance’s recommendation system as a combination of algorithms and strategies, such as collaborative filter – a technique used to curate content for a certain user based on the preference or interest of other users exhibiting similar behaviours.