I tracked my TikTok likes for 2 weeks with a spreadsheet and a pen. The pen won.

Blair Torres · 2026-09-10T11:25:06.851382+00:00

I kept a paper tally of every video that hit my For You page and what it was about. Then I logged the same stuff in a spreadsheet for 14 days. The paper made me see patterns way faster, like how 8 out of 10 cooking clips came right after I paused on a grocery haul. The app's own "why you're seeing this" button told me nothing useful compared to my own notes. It turns out the algorithm pushes whatever keeps you watching, and my pen caught that faster than any data tool. Anyone else tried tracking their feed by hand and found it more useful than the built-in tools?

Vivisector

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I tracked my TikTok likes for 2 weeks with a spreadsheet and a pen. The pen won. | Algorithm Watch - Vivisector