What I will explain here is not like the thousands of fear-inducing articles that describe Instagram and TikTok as monsters. It will be short and to the point. Here are two hidden powers and dangers of these platforms that are rarely discussed:

1) The power to influence large populations

Instagram and TikTok have approximately 4.7 billion monthly users. This is an incredible number. Even subtle and silent algorithm changes made within a single month can affect the type of content people see and the emotions those contents evoke. If timed well, this could influence an upcoming referendum or election, major decision-making processes, and even areas such as economic stability and public trust. This does not necessarily have to be done directly by Meta or ByteDance; a major example is the 2016 U.S. elections. This event is explained in much more detail and in a relatively neutral way on its Wikipedia page (Access Date: 09.02.2025). In short, a small number of bots constantly sharing short videos, or a deliberately designed algorithmic change, can trigger a major societal event.

2) The power to influence and polarize individuals

In order to keep individuals on the platform, these algorithms are extremely successful at showing people exactly the kind of content they want to see. At the same time, they are remarkably effective at creating two completely opposing sides. Put simply, the algorithm consistently caters to a person who already believes in a certain idea, while rarely showing content that challenges or questions that belief. As a result, individuals who are constantly exposed to reinforcing content never seriously consider the opposing perspective, nor do they reflect on its valid points. Neutral or moderate content is almost never promoted, because people generally prefer validation through familiar observations and narratives rather than engaging in deeper thinking. This leads to the formation of a society divided into completely opposing viewpoints. One of the areas where this polarization is most visible is gender-related division. Isolation and unrealistic expectations push both sides further apart, creating false associations and connections in individuals’ minds. Once these patterns are recognized by the algorithms, people are continuously shown content that confirms their beliefs—videos that make them think, “I knew it was like this.” Over time, this results in deeply ingrained ideas that are extremely difficult to change.

When we examine these two platforms from these less conventional perspectives, we see that they effectively determine when, what, and how people think which is deeply unsettling.

_{This text was not written using any AI, there may be spelling/grammar mistakes and meaningless sentences, and since it was translated, some meaning differences may have happened.}