Have you ever opened Instagram or TikTok just to check one thing and somehow ended up scrolling for 30 minutes? I have, and it made me start thinking about how much of our social media experience is actually our choice. We choose which accounts to follow and what we interact with, but the platforms also use our activity to decide what content to put in front of us. Likes, comments, shares, saves, watch time, and other interactions can all help determine what appears in our feeds. This means that two people can open the same social media platform and see completely different versions of what is happening online.
What I find most interesting is the feedback loop that creates. If I consistently watch a certain type of video or interact with a certain topic, I am likely to see more of it. At first, that can be helpful because it makes the platform feel personalized and helps us discover content we actually enjoy. However, it can also create a very narrow view of what is popular or important. Something appearing repeatedly in my feed does not necessarily mean that everyone is talking about it. It may simply mean that the platform has learned that I am likely to engage with it. This is an important distinction when social media is being used to learn about current events, products, trends, or even other people's opinions.
This is especially relevant to marketing and personal branding. Social media can be an incredible tool for building an audience, promoting a business, and creating professional opportunities, but getting attention is only one part of effective digital communication. I think it is important to understand why certain content gets attention instead of assuming that the most visible content is automatically the most valuable or credible. Building a strong online presence means being intentional about what we post and also being aware of how platforms influence what we see. The more we understand that process, the better we can communicate online without letting our feeds completely determine what gets our attention.
Question for readers: Do you think your social media feed mostly reflects what you already care about, or do you think seeing certain content repeatedly can actually influence what you start caring about?
Attribution:
Original visual created for this CIS103 blog by Alyssa. No outside image was used.