One of the goals you may have when creating content is to appear on the feed. That means you must create content that aligns with the algorithm's needs. This always raises the question of whether you should create content for your audience or the algorithm. This article examines the ethical questions and answers to whether you should create content for the algorithm.

The Impact of the Algorithms on Our Content Creation

At the core of major social media sites is an algorithm that determines which content should be visible and which should be hidden from the public. These algorithms shape social media feeds, providing users with a highly personalized experience. 

Each social media platform, such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, has a unique algorithm that helps them to show users the most relevant content. However, most algorithms consider a few factors when ranking content. These are:

• Content type. Social media algorithms rank texts, images, and videos differently across various platforms. Therefore, you must add the content type each platform favors to increase your reach. This is one of the best strategies to boost your Instagram growth.
• Engagement rate. Shares, likes, and comments impact your content’s visibility.
• Recency. Most social media sites prioritize the most recent type of content.
• User behavior. The algorithm will consider your behavior as an individual user. For instance, if you only interact with video content, the algorithm will show you more of such content on your feed.

Why You Should Create Content For The Algorithm

One benefit of social media algorithms is that they can increase user engagement. Since they analyze user behavior, interactions, and preferences, they can curate content according to each user’s needs. This high content personalization level ensures that users can engage with the content they see and spend more time on the social media platform.

A higher engagement level benefits only the user who needs to be entertained, but it also helps advertisers using the platforms to reach their potential customers. The algorithm also ensures better content delivery as creators experiment with different types of content to find what is working.

How the Algorithm Affects Content Creators

There are different ways the algorithm impacts the content creation process. These  are:

• Distribution. Algorithms determine how content is distributed. This means that content creators need to create well-optimized content for search engines if they want it to reach the right audience.
• Monetization. With the algorithms, the chances of users discovering new content have improved. Therefore, creators must be creative to stand out from a crowded field. They must create high-quality content that is also well-optimized for search engines.
• Engagement. The algorithms also affect how a creator engages with their target audience. For instance, if the algorithm notices that your content generates a higher engagement, it will reward it with a higher ranking. This can incentivize creators to create content that generates a response.
• Monetization. Algorithms also impact how content creators monetize their content. For instance, changing the algorithm will impact the creators' monetization opportunities.
• Content quality. The algorithms usually promote high-quality content while penalizing low-quality content. This means creators can only focus on informative, valuable, and engaging content.

Should Creators Write For The Algorithm Or Their Audience?

The key role that the algorithm plays in recommending content often leaves creators wondering if they should write for the algorithm or their audiences. Some creators struggle between staying true to their voice or conforming to the algorithm's requirements.

For instance, if you are a YouTube creator specializing in educational content, you might be tempted to change your content type to prioritize trending topics and click baits when you find that it is the kind of content the YouTube algorithm needs. In the same way, creators may face the challenge of presenting their complex educational content in a manner acceptable to the algorithm. If they choose to remain authentic, the visibility of their content is reduced. However, choosing authenticity can help create a loyal and engaged following that prefers genuine content over trending topics.

Is it Ethical to Create Content with the Algorithm in Mind

One question that comes to mind is whether it is ethical for creators to create content with the algorithm in mind. First, creators must create marketing content matching the user's needs. The content should provide a solution to their audience or even entertain them.

However, even as they do that, the reality is that if the algorithm doesn’t show your content, it can be hard to gain the visibility of the target audience. Therefore, creators must balance creating content for their audience and optimizing the content for search engines. You can read our guide on creating engaging content on Pinterest.