The Gray Area with Sean Illing Why TikTok matters
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Sep 29, 2025 In a captivating discussion, Emily Baker-White, a seasoned reporter and author of *Every Screen on the Planet*, dives into TikTok's addictive nature, unveiling how its algorithm reshapes social media into an entertainment powerhouse. She highlights the fascinating blend of human moderation with AI, revealing the impact of internal tools on content visibility. Emily also explores TikTok's geopolitical implications, concerns about data privacy, and the U.S. government's attempts to regulate its operations, painting a vivid picture of the platform's cultural significance.
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Algorithmic Feed Replaces User Choice
- TikTok removes user choice by predicting and serving content without asking you to search.
- That frictionless prediction makes the app far more addictive than older, pull-based platforms.
From Friends To Professionalized Entertainment
- TikTok shifted social media from friend-based feeds to professionalized content aimed at entertaining you.
- That shift makes TikTok more like Netflix than traditional social networks and changes whose voices dominate the platform.
Moderation Is A Human+Algorithm Blend
- TikTok's moderation mixes algorithms and human reviewers, and U.S. policies now broadly resemble other platforms.
- The company originally westernized its China-origin policies as it expanded into other markets.
