How Does Social Media Use Machine Learning?

Learn how social media uses machine learning for a better user experience

Social media platforms are among the most popular and influential applications of the internet, with billions of users across the world. Social media platforms allow users to create, share, and consume various types of content, such as text, images, videos, and audio, as well as to interact with each other and form online communities. However, behind the scenes, social media platforms also rely on machine learning that enables them to provide better user experiences, optimize their operations, and generate more revenue.

Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence that involves creating systems that can learn from data and make predictions or decisions without being explicitly programmed. Machine learning can be applied to various types of data, such as text, images, videos, and audio, and can perform various tasks, such as classification, regression, clustering, recommendation, and generation. Machine learning can also use different techniques, such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning, depending on the availability and nature of the data and the desired outcome.

Social media platforms use machine learning in social media for various purposes, such as:

Content recommendation:

Machine learning algorithms can analyze the preferences, behavior, and feedback of users and recommend the most relevant and engaging content for them, such as posts, stories, videos, or ads. For example, Facebook uses a machine learning model called DeepText to understand the meaning and sentiment of text posts and comments and to suggest relevant topics, pages, or groups for users. YouTube uses a machine learning model called Deep Neural Networks to rank and recommend videos for users based on their watch history, search queries, and other signals.

Content moderation:

In content moderation, machine learning algorithms can also help social media platforms filter out inappropriate, harmful, or illegal content, such as spam, hate speech, violence, nudity, or misinformation, and enforce their community standards and policies. For example, Twitter uses a machine learning model called Birdwatch to flag and label potentially misleading tweets and to crowdsource feedback from users3. Instagram uses a machine learning model called DeepText to detect and remove offensive or abusive comments and captions.

Content creation:

For content creation, machine learning algorithms can also enable social media platforms to generate new and creative content, such as images, videos, audio, or text, from existing data or user inputs. For example, Snapchat uses a machine learning model called Lens Studio to create and apply various filters, effects, and animations to user photos and videos. TikTok uses a machine learning model called ByteDance AI Lab to create and edit short videos with music, transitions, and stickers.

User analysis:

Machine learning algorithms can also help social media platforms to understand and segment their users, such as their demographics, interests, preferences, behavior, and feedback, and to use this information to improve their services, products, and marketing strategies. For example, LinkedIn uses a machine learning model called Pro-ML to analyze the skills, experience, and goals of its users and to provide them with personalized career advice, opportunities, and connections. Pinterest uses a machine learning model called PinSage to analyze the pins, boards, and searches of its users and to provide them with personalized recommendations, ads, and insights.

Conclusion:

Machine learning is a powerful and versatile technology that can enhance the performance, functionality, and profitability of social media platforms. However, machine learning also poses some challenges and risks, such as data privacy, security, bias, fairness, and accountability, that need to be addressed and regulated by the social media platforms themselves, as well as by the users, policymakers, and other stakeholders.