TikTok on Tuesday said the platform should not be seen as a social media network but rather as a content growth platform driven by high-quality content.

TikTok is a short-form video platform where users create and share videos ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes.

TikTok’s Head of Communications for sub-Saharan Africa, Keagile Makgoba, made this known at a media workshop organised for journalists in Lagos.

According to her, contrary to public belief, TikTok’s algorithm relies on a content graph rather than a social graph, meaning that creativity—rather than social connections—is the key to gaining visibility on the platform.

She added that it was the strength of individual content that drew users to TikTok, alongside the platform’s built-in tools that supported content discovery.

According  to her; STEM  feed is one of the ‘Tools for Discovery’ that makes learning, education  and science fun.

She said, “People use entertainment  to educate young ones, 10 million STEM related videos  have been published globally and 96 per cent  of the time spent on ‘For You’ feed. There has been 35 per cent increase  in growth of STEM  related content across the pkatform. TikTok requires consistency because it’s used as a search engine optimisation; so when posting content, descriptions  are important.”

According  to her, TikTok community  guidelines and policies are not created in vacuum, they are a global platform  with local approach.

Ms Makgoba said TikTok had adopted a comprehensive approach to content moderation by combining advanced moderation technology with a robust team of human moderators to ensure user safety.

She also noted that in 2023, TikTok launched the Mental Health Education Fund to support organisations in creating authoritative, engaging, and uplifting mental health content.

According to her, the fund has helped participating organisations achieve over 173 million impressions, gain more than 600,000 new followers, and drive over 200,000 website visits.

“It has also contributed to the recruitment of 466 new volunteers, thanks to a combined $7.3 million in ad credit donations,”she added.

(NAN)