Analysis of "Anesthesia" Mechanism in Mobile Short Video Applications

Abstract

Absrtact-The continuous progress of mobile Internet technology has led to many new media products, short video is one of them. Its rapid rise has provided the public with rich and colorful entertainment enjoyment, but also brought about the negative function of "mental anesthesia". By using case analysis method, taking Video Tremolo (also named as Tik Tok) APP as an example, combining with innovation and diffusion, use and satisfaction, information cocoon room, gatekeeper and other theories, this paper explores the mechanism and ways of mobile short video application and its "anesthesia" function to the public. The study found that short video APP focuses on spreading content with "magic" through the utilization of big data and artificial intelligence technology to precisely "anesthetize" the public, and expands its scope of influence under the "social +" model. This paper holds that the public should rationally view the explosive phenomenon of short video. The developers of short video APP should use various technical means to guide and manage users' time control, in order to minimize the impact and harm of short video on public "psycho-anesthesia".

TikTok’s Spiral of Antisemitism

“…Each of these factors is individually weighted by TikTok's "For You" recommendation system, which means each "For You" page will be unique to a user and their level of interest. TikTok thereby provides users with a continuous stream of video content, fueling user interest and entertainment, and this can lead to the "anaesthetic effect" (Fang et al 2019) whereby users consume content for long periods fed by curiosity without being fully aware they are doing so. TikTok's algorithm is therefore a disconcerting feature, as the algorithm can in effect push users who unintentionally view disturbing content to view more.…”

Let’s dance the news! How the news media are adapting to the logic of TikTok

“…The platform has been scarcely explored in academic research due to its novelty, although characteristic features (Feng et al, 2019;Nie et al, 2019), effects on the audience (Fang et al, 2019;Ma et al, 2019) and its application in specific areas such as health communication (Zhu et al, 2019), as well as political communication (Serrano et al, 2020) have been analysed. However, no research has yet focused on news media analysis on TikTok.…”

“…Its algorithm customizes the recommendations for each user and videos are played as soon as the app is opened, on the so-called ‘For You’ page, advancing with a simple ‘swipe’. This agile consumption dynamic leads to the so-called ‘anaesthetic effect’ (Fang et al, 2019), which causes users to consume for long continuous periods fed by curiosity without being fully aware that they are doing so, similar to the effect of the YouTube recommendation algorithm optimized for viewing time (van Es, 2020).…”

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“…Gracias a ello, TikTok les permite interactuar con los residentes locales y difundir información relacionada con la salud. Fang et al, (2019) analizaron el mecanismo de anestesia que surge en aplicaciones como TikTok, afirmando que la aplicación brinda a los usuarios un sinfín de contenidos para satisfacer la curiosidad psicológica y las necesidades de entretenimiento.…”