tiktok's eating disorder pipeline preys on the most vulnerable

an analysis of algorithmic rabbit holes into dangerous communities

content warning: this week’s entire newsletter focuses on the topic of eating disorder content online, as well as my own history with disordered eating and body image issues. discussion of this can be triggering for some, so i recommend skipping this one if that’s the case. if you are struggling with an eating disorder and want support, you can visit NEDIC if you’re in Canada and NEDA if you’re in the US.

a real photo of me scrolling through tiktok

tiktok, like every other platform that serves content based on highly-tailored algorithms, has a massive problem. the algorithm obviously wants to serve you content based on your demographic and interests, using data it gets from your device, other websites you use, and the way you interact with content on the platform. while this can mean you end up on the gay side of tiktok or on foodtok or some other niche, it can also send you down a rabbit hole of psychologically and physically damaging content relating to dieting and eating disorders.

in december 2021, the verge wrote about an experiment the wall street journal did about eating disorder content being easily accessible by interacting with specific content, and tiktok put out a statement around the same time stating that they would try to diversify recommended content, acknowledging that viewing any type of content too much can be damaging. however, a year and a half later, it doesn’t seem like a lot has changed, at least in my experience.

my tiktok feed mostly consists of recipes, silly cats, fashion, vancouver-specific videos, and a bit of communism. however, once i started trying to get back in shape after a long period of being sedentary and eating lots of processed food, i found myself getting more problematic content every week.