TikTok Algorithm Awareness. The Case of Algospeak to Bypass Algorithmic Logic

Algorithms are part of everyday life and govern the selection, classification, and presentation of information and communication on the internet, impacting the perceptions and behaviors of people (Kitchin, 2017; Droguel et al., 2020). Algorithms are implemented to decide how web search results must be displayed, how must be curated news feeds, or affect users' preferences by recommending music or movie on media consumption platforms (Gillispie, 2013; Milano et al., 2020); and they are also used for regulatory purposes for the management of public services (Aragona & Felaco, 2020), such as policing, health care, social benefit, or education. This paper focuses strictly on algorithmic awareness of TikTok users, and specifically to what extent it may intervene in the mutual user-social media platform relationship. In this regard, we discuss the content moderation mechanisms adopted by Tik Tok, on the one hand, and the strategies devised by users to counter them, on the other. In the case in point, we deal with what is named Algospeak, such as code words or expressions that social media users adopt in order to avoid content moderation systems or bypass the censorship and filters that platforms apply. We adopted a quantitative approach by using an online survey and made a Tik Tok video to recruit users to join to research. The final sample consists of 200 Tik Tok users. The questionnaire is composed of three main sections: use of Tik Tok platform, awareness, and knowledge about Tik Tok algorithm functioning and Algospeak strategies, and direct/indirect experiences with the content moderation system of Tik Tok. We performed a statistical multidimensional analysis intending. The main results show different user profiles regarding the levels of algorithm awareness and ways of using Tik Tok, how users deal with the moderation system, and when and to what extent they use Algospeak tactics for bypassing the moderation system of Tik Tok.