TikTok is a popular social media platform that allows users to create and share short videos. One of the key features of TikTok is the ability to follow other users in order to see their content. When you follow someone on TikTok, their videos will show up in your “Following” feed.
In addition to your main feed, TikTok also has a separate “Following” list that shows all the accounts you currently follow. This list appears on every user’s profile and allows you to easily browse and manage who you are following. The order of this list provides insight into a user’s connections on TikTok and can reveal how actively they engage with certain creators.
In this article, we will explore how TikTok orders a user’s following list by default and the options available to customize and sort the list.
Followers
Followers on TikTok are users who subscribe to a creator’s account in order to see their latest videos in their Following feed. When a user follows another account, that account’s new videos will automatically show up in the Following feed of the follower.
Followers represent an audience for a creator’s content. Having more followers means a creator’s videos have the potential to reach more people. Followers also signify a form of social approval and status on the platform.
Many creators aim to grow their follower count as a goal in itself and as a way to reach a larger audience. Popular creators can accumulate millions of followers over time. However, follower count alone is not the only important metric – it’s also important to have an engaged audience in terms of likes, comments, and shares.
Sources:
https://www.outlookindia.com/outlook-spotlight/buying-tiktok-followers-in-2023-does-it-work–news-315634
https://www.highsocial.com/resources/how-to-see-who-you-recently-followed-on-tiktok/
Following
On TikTok, the “Following” list shows all of the accounts you have chosen to follow. When you follow someone, you subscribe to see the content they post on their profile. Following an account is different from being a fan or supporter – it simply means you want to be notified when they share new videos. You can follow friends, celebrities, brands, influencers, creators and more on TikTok. By default, any account you follow will show up in your Following list in chronological order based on when you started following them.
According to the TikTok Help Center article “Following accounts on TikTok” (https://www.tiktok.com/discover/what-does-following-mean-on-tiktok?lang=en), following someone adds their videos to your For You feed and lets you see their content in your Following feed. You can follow as many accounts as you like. Following does not have to be mutual – you can follow someone without them following you back.
Default Following List Order
The default order of the following list on TikTok is chronological, with the most recent follows shown first. When you open your following list, the accounts you have most recently followed will be at the top. As you scroll down, you’ll see the accounts you followed earlier and earlier over time.
According to Remote Tools, TikTok organizes the following list “based on the date and time a user followed someone.” So if you followed User A, then User B an hour later, User B would be above User A in your following list.
This chronological order allows you to easily see your latest follows towards the top. It provides a snapshot of who you’ve recently interacted with and decided to follow on TikTok.
Sorting Options
TikTok allows you to sort your following list in different ways. By default, TikTok displays your following list in chronological order, with the most recent accounts you followed at the top. However, you can change the sort order in the app settings. There are three main sorting options for your TikTok following list:
Most Recent – This default view displays the accounts you have most recently followed at the top of your following list. Newly followed accounts will appear first.
Alphabetical – Choosing this sort order will rearrange your following list alphabetically A-Z based on the account usernames.
Suggested – This option sorts your following list based on TikTok’s algorithmic suggestions. Accounts TikTok recommends you interact with more may appear higher.
You can change the default sort order by going to your profile, tapping the three dot menu in the top right corner, selecting “Settings and privacy,” then choosing “Sort following list.” Select your preferred order here. The setting will apply across the app on both iOS and Android devices.
Most Recent
The default order for the TikTok following list is most recent. This means the accounts you have followed most recently will be at the top of your following list. As you follow new accounts, they get added to the top of the list. So your newest follows will always be first.
The most recent order shows the accounts you’ve followed chronologically, with your newest follows first. This allows you to easily see the latest accounts you’ve chosen to follow on TikTok. It provides a timeline of your following activity from newest to oldest.
According to Remote Tools, “The TikTok following and followers list displays accounts in chronological order. You can find the newest account you followed at the top and the very first account you followed at the bottom.” So most recent is the default sort to show your follows in order from newest to oldest.
Alphabetical
The TikTok following list can be sorted alphabetically based on the account names. When sorted this way, the accounts you follow will be listed in ascending alphabetical order from A to Z (TikTok – Sort Alphabetically). This allows you to easily locate specific accounts in your following list by their name. Alphabetical sorting disregards when you originally followed each account and simply organizes them by the English alphabet. Some users prefer an alphabetical following list as it provides an organized way to scroll through the accounts they follow.
Suggested
The Suggested sort option on TikTok shows account recommendations in your Following list based on TikTok’s algorithm. TikTok’s algorithm analyzes your activity and interests to suggest accounts you may want to follow. This includes looking at the content you watch, like, comment on, and engage with to find accounts posting similar content.
Some common ways TikTok suggests accounts are:
- Accounts followed by people you already follow
- Popular accounts posting content related to your interests
- Accounts of your contacts if you’ve connected your contacts to TikTok
The Suggested option aims to personalize your Following list with accounts TikTok predicts you will enjoy. This makes it easier to discover new accounts and content tailored to your preferences. However, some users find the recommendations too personalized if TikTok suggests accounts of people they know in real life but have not connected as contacts.
Changing the Default
Unfortunately, TikTok does not have a built-in feature to allow users to change the default order of their following list. The following list will always default to most recent first. However, there are a few tricks users can try to rearrange their following list temporarily:
On iOS devices, users can tap ‘Edit’ at the top of the following list, then tap and hold on a user’s icon to drag and drop them into a different order. This customized order will persist until the user leaves the page. Once they return to the following list again, it will revert back to default most recent first order.
On Android, there is no drag and drop feature. But users can tap the 3-dot menu next to a user’s name, and select ‘Move to Top’ which will pin that user to the top of the list. This can help prioritize certain accounts higher up.
Third party apps like TikTok Following Order also claim to let users customize and save a specific following list order permanently. However, use caution with third party apps that require login via TikTok.
While not ideal, these tricks allow for some customization given TikTok does not natively support changing the default following list order.
Conclusion
In summary, the default order of the TikTok following list is chronological, showing the most recent accounts you followed at the top. However, you can change the sort order to alphabetical or suggested if you prefer. The suggested sort uses an algorithm to highlight accounts you may want to interact with more frequently.
While the default chronological order is useful for staying on top of your latest follows, switching to alphabetical can help you browse for specific people you already follow. The suggested view provides a more customized experience based on TikTok’s recommendations.
No matter how you prefer to sort your following list, TikTok’s flexibility allows you to see the accounts you care about most. With options to filter and reorder as needed, you can stay connected with the creators and content you love on TikTok.
