The next session at the IAMCR 2025 conference in Singapore starts with Du Hengyu, whose focus is on the relationships between social media users and platform algorithms. Such algorithms are central to platforms; they influence what content we encounter, and how we can engage with others on these platforms. This has been studied from a user experience perspective, and over the shorter and longer term, but there remains a lack of relationship cycle models.
This study connected some 46 interviews with Chinese users of Weibo, TikTok, Bed Booklet, Bilibili, and Instagram, exploring their perceptions of platform algorithms. It examines their co-constructed interactions with such algorithms, and the way they act, adjust, and adapt to algorithmic processes. This is not about control or submission, but represents a rhythmic, cyclical process.
Early on, users are largely unaware of the operations of such algorithms; they gradually begin to give interactional feedback, and trust in and collaboration with algorithms gradually emerge. Later, more sophisticated strategies emerge, and users might use multiple accounts, switch platforms, and formulate specific goals. Finally, users may also feel overwhelmed by personalisation, and mute, operate in logged-out or anonymous state, user other platforms or develop other circumvention mechanisms.
This can also be seen as a circle, then, as users move across platforms and perhaps also back to earlier platforms after some time. The platform disengagement and cross-platform migration that this also implies needs further research, especially also across diverse user groups.
