Spotify maximizes listening time through features like curated playlists and “Song Radios,” which automatically generate infinite queues based on a user’s preferences. This level of personalization helps users continually discover new music they enjoy. As the algorithm further fine-tunes these radios to individual taste, the switching cost of moving to a competitor like Apple Music becomes prohibitively high, securing long-term subscription revenue. Another important factor in Spotify’s success is its social layer: seeing what friends are listening to creates a sense of connection and makes music discovery a shared experience.
LinkedIn drives engagement by populating the feed with second-degree activity, specifically what a user’s connections are liking or commenting on, not just what they post. This keeps the feed active and relevant even when a user’s immediate network is quiet, leveraging professional FOMO to encourage daily check-ins. Frequent sessions ensure that user profiles (the product LinkedIn sells to recruiters and advertisers) are constantly updated with new skills, roles, and activity. LinkedIn also strengthens retention by recommending jobs based on expressed interests, profile data, and behavioral signals.
TikTok optimizes ad targeting by analyzing granular behavior (such as search history, watch patterns, and likes) to serve ads that feel nearly indistinguishable from organic content. This mirrors how the For You feed works more broadly: surfacing unpredictable but highly personalized videos to keep users scrolling. The business payoff is higher ad yield. Because TikTok targets ads using real-time behavioral signals rather than broad demographic categories, it can charge advertisers more while maintaining the user’s immersion in the infinite scroll.
