For those who may not yet be familiar with it, TikTok is a different type of social media platform. Unlike more traditional platforms like Instagram or Twitter where you manually curate your feeds by choosing to follow others — most likely, people you know — TikTok uses an algorithm to curate a highly personalized feed of videos. This algorithm can get shockingly specific as it gathers the videos it thinks you’ll like.

TikTok’s main page is named the For You page — and that really means for you. For instance, after I’d been on TikTok for a while, the algorithm figured out that I’m a grown-up emo kid (it was never a phase, Mom) who is trying to learn French, spends too much time playing The Sims 4, and is also queer. But TikTok’s algorithm didn’t get that shockingly specific by itself. It took time and effort for me to tailor the videos so perfectly to my tastes.

While TikTok does eventually learn the type of videos you like, it can be challenging to find content that appeals to you when an account is brand new. At the start, the For You page will typically show mega-viral videos from the app’s most popular users, but if you want to see what other videos and creators are out there, there are a few steps you can take. 

Do you still have a Discover page?

Once upon a time, the easiest way to find videos was using the Discover page to see what was trending. The Discover icon was located at the bottom of the page to the left of the center Add icon. Unfortunately, last May, TikTok announced that it was introducing a Friends tab that would let you “easily find and enjoy content from people you’re connected with.” Eventually, many TikTok users found that the new Friends tab had replaced the Discover tab — and that the Discover tab had disappeared entirely.

If you still have the Discover tab (and according to a support page still up on TikTok’s site, some people still may have it), you’ll find a collection of popular hashtags, sounds, and effects when you select it that lets you start to tell the TikTok algorithm what you like. You can also use the search bar up top to look for topics you enjoy.

Search for topics without the Discover tab

Even if you don’t have the Discover tab, you can still search for topics you’d like to explore. If you tap on the Search icon on the top-right corner of your homescreen, you will be taken to a page with a search field on top that you can use. Below the search field, you’ll find several of your past searches; below that are some suggested searches (which, judging from those that have appeared on my page, are probably based more on current trends than anything you’ve expressed interest in).

Doing a search is a relatively easy way to find a variety of videos with different hashtags and music. Liking the videos that you find (by clicking the heart-shaped “like” button on the side) and following the creators (by clicking the creator’s icon on the side of the screen and then on the red “Follow” button) will help ensure that the type of content you enjoy comes up on your For You page. 

Click on sounds 

The more the algorithm learns about you, the more you’ll start to notice trends within whatever TikTok rabbit hole you’ve gone down. A lot of the time, these trends are built around sounds. The sounds can be audio clips from popular media, music, or even audio created by another user. 

In the bottom-right corner of a video, you’ll see a rotating circle; this is where the sound lives. By pressing that, it’s easy to find a trove of other videos that use that sound (if the sound is trending or at least relatively popular). 

Although you’ll only be watching videos that use the same sound, this is a great way to find a large variety of creators that might not have made it to your For You page. 

TikTok can be a great tool to pass the time, socialize, or learn new things. At the start, though, it can take a little time to build up the patterns before the algorithm begins to do the work for you. Just be careful — it’s very easy to accidentally lose three hours of your day watching TikToks without realizing it. 

Update August 9th, 2022, 1:38PM ET: This article was originally published on July 13th, 2021, and has been updated to account for changes in the app, such as the removal of the Discovery tab.

Maybe you’re new to TikTok, or perhaps you’ve been on the app for a couple of years and would like to find some new accounts to follow. While the algorithm does a shockingly great job of surfacing videos a user might like, it’s easy to get stuck in a bubble of repetitive content, so you’re seeing the same creators again and again or hearing one trending sound just a little too often. 

I spend a lot of my downtime perusing TikTok, and I take pride in the list of accounts I follow. So much pride that I’ve got a sizable list of all the creators I’d recommend following. They range from creators who dole out advice to a forager and even to a heavy metal vocalist. If you’re just starting out on TikTok, these accounts are a great place to start. If you’ve been using it for a while, then unless we have the same algorithm, these accounts will be a good way to freshen up the videos you normally see.

Oldtimehawkey

It never fails — when I’m feeling particularly emotional or stressed, oldtimehawkey pops on my For You page with his friendly catchphrase, “Well, hello there, buddy!” This creator’s videos are so calming, invoking a sense of serenity through the screen. The creator takes his followers through the marsh he lives in, alongside his dog. In most videos, he’ll cook himself and the viewer up a little something, split a couple of cold pops, and finally, he’ll have us sit down with him as he watches old VHS tapes or plays vintage Nintendo games. 

Mercurystardust

Mercury is one of the first creators I followed on TikTok out of sheer desperation after a few phone calls to my apartment’s maintenance team for embarrassingly easy fixes. She goes by Trans Handy Ma’am, and she doles out repair advice, life advice, and frequent hilarious anecdotes. Her videos have helped me on so many occasions that I actually keep some saved in my phone to send to friends in case they ever need repair advice. 

Theplantprodigy

Jacob Soule, better known as theplantprodigy on TikTok, is my go-to for advice on how to keep my plants alive. He offers helpful, often sassy explainers on different plant types and how to take care of them. Additionally, he debunks a lot of viral plant “hacks” and tips, which saves me a lot of time. Admittedly, even after having followed him for nearly a year now, I still have managed to kill many of my house plants, but that’s totally on me. 

Alexisnicole

In a bout of misguided assumptions, I assumed the only plants that were edible were already sold in grocery stores. Come to find out from Alexisnicole, a vegan forager on TikTok, there is an abundance of delicious plants right outside my door. Alexis wanders around identifying and cooking up all types of different weeds, nuts, roots, and more. Not only are her videos extremely educational, but her excited way of sharing stories and telling the viewer how to get the most of something is incredibly contagious. I’m fortunate enough to be located in the same city as Alexis, so I use her videos as guides for what I can and cannot eat. So far, using her recipes, I’ve had great success putting hairy bittercress, purple deadnettles, lilac petals, and dandelions to use. 

Annrussel03

Don’t let Annrussel03’s nonjudgmental home and life advice deceive you. She won’t put up with any nonsense, and she’s not afraid to call commentators out for crossing lines. That being said, Ann gives wonderful tips on how to care for oneself and one’s home. I’ve kept her cleaning advice tucked in the back of my mind and have found it useful when I’ve got a particularly nasty mess to clean up. There are a lot of creators that try to do what Ann does, but no one delivers their tips in such an understanding yet commanding way. 

teepasnow

Dementia and Alzheimers run in my family, although I don’t currently know anyone who has it. These diseases alter a person’s memory, often making it easy for them to forget who their loved ones are or even where they’re located in the moment and why. I wish I would have had a source like this when my family members living with dementia were around. Teepa Snow is a wonderful educator, teaching viewers how to interact with people who have these diseases in a way that still respects that person and calms them. 

Hippiearab

Farah, known by the handle hippiearab, has a gift for witty and engaging storytelling. She’s one of the more recent accounts I’ve come across, and she was an instant follow for me. Her tales alone are rife with comedic value, but it’s really her perfectly timed pauses and witty asides that have me laughing out loud. One of her most successful videos (with 6.1 million views) is about a new chair that is both well designed and easily mistaken for a person at night. It is a perfect example of how she can turn a mundane topic into a hilarious story.

Scenequeenrocks

I spent my high school days as a Scene kid going to heavy metal shows on the weekend. I loved the music, clothes, and community that came with these types of shows. However, it was a very male-dominated culture — I only ever knew of a handful of hardcore bands that had female vocalists. Jumping forward to the future, I found scenequeenrocks. Scene Queen has coined the term “bimbocore” and is bringing highly feminine aesthetics to heavy metal. She’s very tongue-in-cheek and unapologetic about taking up space within the heavy metal world. Her music goes hard, has a great message, and ultimately creates some diversity in a space where it’s needed. Rock on, Scene Queen, rock on.