You’re getting downvoted but seriously, it took them this long to figure this out? I also suspect they won’t outright ban TikTok, but instead levy a multi-billion dollar fine and let it continue operating.
Idk how to feel about this specifically but I kind of hope they come for Duolingo next. They are up to some similar mind hacking shit to keep people from leaving. There's the downright abusive streak management tactics that have become a major part of their brand and PR, and the lesson plans seem designed to plateau to prevent you from actually getting proficient enough in a language to ever unsub. They reset your cleared lessons and require you to redo them if they add new vocab to them, as well as randomly clearing them in the name of making you practice them again. I don't know what the solution is but I've known multiple people now who've gotten frustrated and blamed themselves for not being able to advance their skills with a language, but Duolingo's business model, like Tinder's, is completely opposed with the goals of their users. If Duolingo R&D discovered a magical new method of making you fluent in a language overnight, they would not sell it to you. Tinder R&D might have discovered the actual honest-to-God formula for True Love years ago and burned it because they can make more if you swipe forever.
Robin Whittleton, accessibility lead at IKEA in Malmö, Sweden. Opinions my own, or at least not IKEA’s.
Mastodon: @robinwhittleton@front-end.social
Github: @robinwhittleton
Everywhere that isn’t HN (because here usernames are apparently immutable?): @robinwhittleton
Web: https://www.robinwhittleton.com/
In my spare time I produce PD/libre books for Standard Ebooks: https://standardebooks.org/. My productions listed at https://www.robinwhittleton.com/books/