Most American TikTok users prefer entertainment content to political content

According to a new Pew Research social survey, the majority of adult TikTok users in the US are not signed up for political accounts.

Here's What We Know

An analysis of 227,946 accounts subscribed to by 664 study participants found that less than one per cent are associated with politicians, public figures or traditional media. Instead, users prefer accounts that publish entertainment content, humour and viral dance videos.

The study also found that 43 per cent of accounts discussing politics also touch on entertainment and pop culture topics. While most users are not subscribed to political accounts, 45% of them do see political content in their feeds thanks to TikTok's algorithmic recommendations. The question of what exactly TikTok users in the US see has come under scrutiny in recent years, especially after accusations of biased recommendations from the platform.

While the study's findings do not address TikTok's algorithmic recommendations, the authors note that user subscriptions are an important signal to the app, as it plays a role in shaping the recommendations page.

Source: Engadget