Welcome back to HotToks, where we explain 'the why' behind each viral TikTok trend, tap into key cultural moments, cover app updates, and share how to plan your TikTok marketing strategy. This edition we report on the ability to reset your For You Page (FYP), TikTok's new paywall strategy, and Gen Z's love language in time for Valentine's Day.

If You Could Reset your FYP ... Would You?

If you would, today might be your lucky day. It seems like TikTok is purportedly working on a ‘reset’ button for users’ FYPs. 

We’ve all heard of the iconic FYP, which probably knows you better than you know yourself. The notorious ‘For You’ page algorithm is unique to the platform, and takes in data like watch history and past interactions, to help inform what your page looks like. After all, like snowflakes, no one FYP is like another. But there’s been times (like recently) when your FYP is starting to feel a little…off. It’s starting to have content you don’t normally engage with, which brought conversations about TikTok employees being able to control virality to the limelight. 

Well, now, TikTok is serving up some good news: a new feature called “Refresh,” which will surface videos based on how you use the app after you press the button—a do-over—is being tested out at the TikTok HQ. Although much of the mystical TikTok algorithm remains a mystery, the platform is making changes for users to have more control over their social media consumption. In December, TikTok announced that users would be able to see why a certain video was recommended, and earlier, the platform also rolled out advanced filtering settings so users can have better jurisdiction over what they’re watching.

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TikTok Exploring Paywall Strategy

She’s having a field day with platform changes, and the roll is not slowing down soon. Fresh off the press: it’s alleged that TikTok creators may soon start charging users to watch their videos.

According to a report from The Information, this paywall is one of many features the platform could introduce to attract new users. TikTok is also working on the Creator Fund 2.0 (advanced from the OG Creator Fund), which will pay creators with more than 100K followers to keep them creating content on the platform. Another goal of the social media giant is to attract older audiences, as only 21% of US adults currently use the platform. To do so, the app introduces professionally generated and more polished content.

A TikTok spokesperson has come out to say that they, as a team, are “committed to exploring new ways to create a valuable and rewarding experience” for TikTok creators all over. Since TikTok had experienced such a boom, they could’ve only gone downhill from that huge high. So I guess it’s time for the team to get their creative juices flowing, but is a paywall for users the way to go? 

BRB, you can find me mourning the “anti-gatekeeping” nature of the platform as we speak.‍

Terms to Know When Gen Z’s Love Language is TikTok

Here’s a lil’ belated V-Day moment for y’all, Gen-Z style. Today, class is in session, and we’re talking about the Gen-Z love language. The girls that get it, get it, and the girls that don’t…well, you just have to get with it then.

While the current dating scene is flooded with cases of decision paralysis and conflicting advice surrounding this magical thing called “love,” Gen-Z are finding ways to make their mark on the modern dating world by coming up with a language to better approach conversations about all things love: finding love, being in love, situationships, breakups, all the things. So without further ado, here’s a mini-dictionary for understanding #datingtok—the Gen-Z way—and getting a grip on those convos:

• Soft-Launching: the people like to call it a ‘private but not secret’ (with 59.4M views) relationship. It means posting (‘launching’) someone you’re dating on social media, but keeping this person as anonymous as possible (‘soft’), so don’t tag them, no matter how much you want to. As opposed to the ‘hard launch’ when you show your partner on social media, yes, their face and all, see: Emma Chamberlain and Role Model’s GQ cover.
• Situationship: this one’s a doozy. These are cloudy, nebulous romantic relationships where both parties have feelings for each other but don’t want to or don’t see a need to define it—”dating, but not really.”
• Rizz: with a whopping 7.5B views on #rizz, we’ve got to get into it. Hailing from the word “charisma,” ‘rizz’ is a term to describe the effortless ability to attract potential partners. But why does it have 7.5B views? The variations on this term are hilarious; when people use terms like ‘the rizzard of oz,’ ‘charli derizzlio,’ and ‘rizzy mcguire,’ it’s not hard to see why the term has received so much acclaim as of late. See: NYT on “rizz”

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Thanks for reading!

- Viv