What Tiktok Personalization Reveals About Human-Ai Interaction: Impact on Individual and Collective Dynamics
summary:
Curation algorithms shape user experiences on social media, yet their impact on individual and collective dynamics remains debated. This research examined how TikTok’s personalization influences mental health, problematic use, and political polarization, while exploring algorithm responsiveness; the perception that an algorithm adapts to user preferences. Two studies were conducted: a survey in the US (N = 500) and a two-week field experiment in the EU in the context of the Digital Services Act (N = 612). Study 1 found that personalization was associated to greater TikTok algorithm responsiveness, which was positively related to affective well-being. In Study 2, turning off personalization significantly reduced problematic use of TikTok, but also decreased algorithm responsiveness, with no measurable effects on mental health or affective political polarization. These findings challenge deterministic narratives about AI-driven societal disruption and highlight that personalization’s impact is neither inherently beneficial nor harmful. This work contributes to more nuanced discussions on Human-AI interaction and digital well-being.