Viewing personalized video clips recommended by TikTok activates default mode network and ventral tegmental area
Conghui Su, Hui Zhou, Liang Gong, Binyu Teng, Fengji Geng, Yuzheng Hu
Neuroimage May 2, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118136 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey and fMRI experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Young adult TikTok users |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Personalized video recommendations activate brain regions linked to self-relevance and reward, and problematic use is associated with lower self-control. |
Abstract
Cutting-edge recommendation algorithms have been widely used by media platforms to suggest users with personalized content. While such user-specific recommendations may satisfy users' needs to obtain intended information, some users may develop a problematic use pattern manifested by addiction-like undesired behaviors. Using a popular video sharing and recommending platform (TikTok) as an example, the present study first characterized use-related undesired behaviors with a questionnaire, then investigated how personally recommended videos modulated brain activity with an fMRI experiment. We found more undesired symptoms were related to lower self-control ability among young adults, and about 5.9% of TikTok users may have significant problematic use. The fMRI results showed higher brain activations in sub-components of the default mode network (DMN), ventral tegmental area, and discrete regions including lateral prefrontal, anterior thalamus, and cerebellum when viewing personalized videos in contrast to non-personalized ones. Psychophysiological interaction analyses revealed stronger coupling between activated DMN subregions and neural pathways underlying auditory and visual processing, as well as the frontoparietal network. This study highlights the functional heterogeneity of DMN in viewing personalized videos and may shed light on the neural underpinnings of how recommendation algorithms are able to keep the user's attention to suggested contents.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional connectivity of default mode network components: Correlation, anticorrelation, and causality Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study using resting-state fMRI and seed correlation analysis | |
| Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2009 | Experimental study using fMRI | |
| Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension Human subjects | 2016 | Experimental study | |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network Human observers | 2012 | Observational study with fMRI and behavioral analysis |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Remodeling of the ventral attention network-default mode network as potential neural correlates of anxiety in lumbar disc herniation patients treated with lever positioning manipulation: a resting-state fMRI study. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies March 16, 2026
- The Sacrifice of Alerting in Active Short Video Users: Evidence from Executive Control and Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity. Neuropsychologia October 3, 2025
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and 7 more in the library