The First One to Know You’re Gay? Your TikTok Algorithm

Apparently, the damn phones really are paying attention to everything, including the innermost thoughts you have yet to unpack yourself. A new study found that the TikTok algorithm might know you’re queer before you even come to that realization yourself.Recently published in the Gender, Place, & Culture, an academic journal of feminist geography, the study was the result of 20 in-depth interviews with LGBTQ+ residents in two Australian metropolitan centers about the way they connect with other queer people, particularly in “hybrid spaces” which include both online and offline activity. The subjects, who ranged in age from 18 to 60, told researchers that in order to explore their identities online without fear of being outed or harassed, they relied on privacy settings, using multiple accounts on the same platform, and lurking without posting.Multiple interview subjects said that as they engaged with online apps like TikTok, which suggest videos based on engagement — which can include liking a post, following a creator, or even lingering on a video longer than usual — they felt the algorithm quickly tried to categorize their identity, including their gender or sexuality.“Several participants told us the algorithm ‘knew’ they were queer before they did,” lead author Dr. Justin Ellis, part of the University of Newcastle’s School of Law and Justice, told University News.For example, a 25-year-old lesbian from Newcastle described using a profile without her name or any identifying characteristics to passively scroll and consume content, which ultimately helped her explore her identity. Particularly as global attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people shift, and in some countries have become more punitive, that privacy has acted as an additional safety measure for some interviewees.“Because being anonymous on the internet is really helpful and was really helpful for me when I first was figuring out if I was queer or not, and then I think, getting to that point