I’m forcing myself to write right now, because I haven’t had the urge too much lately. That’s not quite true actually, I have had the desire but not the means…simply no time. This morning I have a moment or two, but really, I am so tired I would rather be curled on the sofa watching Grace and Frankie. Alas, it is Monday, a fresh week, so here I sit.
I wrote a poem called Uvalde, and I made a video for it, which I posted on Facebook and TikTok and also here in my blog. It did well on Facebook…not so much on TikTok. So, I had to look around as to why. All my friends on that platform loved it, but then I realized…It was only reaching my friends. It only got 30-something views over the course of several days. Then, almost on accident, I stumbled across an article about the TikTok algorithm.
There is a feature on TikTok where you can add captions to your video. I always do this, not just for the hearing impaired and those sneakily watching at work, but also because I am a writer and my words are my strength-so of course I want you to see them.
What I came to find out, however, is that if you add captions to your video, sometimes you may use words that TikTok doesn’t approve of. If they find such words in your captions, they don’t promote your video to For You pages. So, naturally, I used the word “gun” a few times in my poem about gun control…apparently, I should have used an emoji. I also used “dead,” for which the article tells me I must write “unalive.”
Are you fucking kidding me?
I know a lot of kids use TikTok so I’m guessing that’s where this algorithmic rule comes into play, but most kids over the age of 6 can make out most words-I’m saying they know how to read. And what’s more, they can HEAR me say whatever I want-so whether I put an emoji or the word “gun” in the captions…kid just heard me. It’s stupid, beyond measure.
I joined TikTok because I thought it would be a cool way to share some of my work, and it is, but I’m a little peeved that if I write certain words, it will be censored. If you want to keep kids safe or whatever, kick them off the site. Probably shouldn’t be here anyway. Or, make all videos need approval. Go big or go home, essentially, don’t walk a tightrope between free speech and censorship.
So, I took the captions out of my video and waited 24 hours and lookie here! 300 views. Yes, I did totally screw myself in the algorithm…but I shouldn’t have, because it’s ridiculous and shouldn’t exist.
That’s my gripe for today, folks. I wish I had a little more to say, but I do not. As previously stated, the sofa has been calling my name this morning, and I still have four more projects I need to work on, so I will cut this one a little short. Do have a happy Monday!
Ham 'N Eggs 