TikTok has become a cesspool of conspiracy theories and misinformation as wildfires continue to devastate the Los Angeles region, and evidence suggests TikTok’s algorithm launched them into virality.
These videos have already racked up millions of views, and the view count on each video reviewed by Media Matters far exceeds the number of followers on the respective account, suggesting that TikTok’s recommendation algorithm spread the content to millions of users.
Visit us @ !fediverse_vs_disinfo@lemmy.dbzer0.com for all the latest news on the topics of astroturfing, propaganda and disinformation.
It’s not as if it was done on purpose maliciously. Misinformation and conspiracy theories just get more engagement so they end up boosted by algorithms. That’s what happens when the goal is keep people on the site for as long as possible. Some people keep watching them because they’re like I can’t believe this shit and some people are watching because they believe that shit as far as the algorithm is concerned either one is good