What is ForYou on TikTok?

60-90 min

We often hear that algorithms control social media, but how does this work? In this lesson, we use TikTok as our starting point to understand how social media adapts to its users.

Diskusjon
Video

Preparation

Review the student page and prepare to share the link with your students. Note that the students will work in pairs for the most part.


Guided practice

Introduce the learning objectives and desired learning outcomes for the lesson:

  • How TikTok customizes information for each user.
  • How important algorithms are for the information you receive.
  • Reflect on and discuss the consequences of TikTok and other social media platforms customizing content for its users.

Class: What is TikTok?

Before the students work on their own, it is beneficial to talk about what TikTok is and what it is used for. Have students provide their input.

Then share the link to the student page.

Students Do Task 1

Students explore their own ForYou feed on TikTok and present their findings to their partners.

Address the questions in a class discussion, and feel free to let the students ask more questions.

Students Do Task 2

Students present their findings in small groups. They then discuss why they get different content in their ForYou feed.

Students Do Task 3

Students watch the video. They can do this individually or you can show it to the class. After the video, they answer the questions individually or in small groups.

Students Do Task 4

Students make lists of positive and negative aspects of TikTok's algorithms in the ForYou feed.

Discuss the issue in a class discussion.

Consolidation

What advice would the students want to give to someone who is about to start using TikTok? Would it matter if the person was an adult or a teenager?

Have the students think of five, good pieces of advice for using TikTok.

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