Unlike older algorithms that recommend content based on long-term follow history, TikTok's model prioritizes recent engagement. This 'TikTokification' across platforms means algorithms can now find an audience for off-niche content if it aligns with a viewer's immediate, short-term interests.

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram now use AI algorithms to show users content they are interested in, regardless of whether they follow the creator. This shift means brands can achieve massive reach without a large following by creating content that strongly appeals to niche interests.

Derek Thompson posits that media forms like podcasting, social media, and AI are all evolving toward a singular "attractor state": an endless, algorithmically recommended stream of video. This isn't a strategic choice but an inevitable market dynamic, much like a marble rolling to the bottom of a bowl.

Gary Vaynerchuk argues that platforms have evolved beyond a follower-based model ("social media"). Now, algorithms dominate, creating an "interest media" landscape where content is surfaced based on a user's demonstrated interests, regardless of whom they follow. This makes the content itself paramount over follower counts.

Social platforms are declining as places for genuine connection, shifting to AI-generated 'slop' and content from strangers. Their business model remains viable not by improving the user's social experience, but by using AI to become so effective at ad targeting that even mindless engagement is highly monetizable.

Due to the "TikTokification" of platforms, algorithms now favor a single piece of content's potential to engage anyone, regardless of who created it. This means sticking to a strict niche is no longer required for high views and reach, though it remains important for gaining followers.

While seemingly beneficial, algorithms that perfectly cater to existing preferences (e.g., in music or news) can trap users in narrow cultural silos. This "calcification" of taste prevents personal development and creates a balkanized cultural landscape, hindering shared experience and discovery.

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram no longer primarily show content from accounts you follow. Their algorithms serve content based on demonstrated interests. This means content quality and relevance now trump follower count, leveling the playing field for new creators.

The original moat of platforms like Facebook was the "social graph"—content from friends. The industry-wide shift to algorithmically recommended "unconnected content," pioneered by TikTok, has turned these platforms from active social tools into passive entertainment pipelines.