1. Difference between organic interactions vs interactions resulting from FLKS
Organic interaction is when people watch your video, then follow, like, comment, or share because they find your content interesting or useful. They come without being asked, and will usually come back for more content.
Meanwhile, interactions resulting from FLKS tend to be "transactional" (I like your video, you like my video). This relationship is usually not based on interest in the content, but only to fulfill reciprocal promises. As a result, even though engagement numbers may seem high at first, the quality of the audience is often disproportionate to the numbers.
And this is where the misconception often occurs: creators feel that the algorithm will continue to be “fooled” by high engagement, even though there are other factors that determine whether your content will be pushed further or not.
2. Risk of having an irrelevant audience
One of the biggest problems with FLKS is that it creates an audience that doesn't really care about the topics you discuss. For example, you create educational content, but the majority of your followers are entertainment creators who only follow because of an agreement to follow each other.
At first, this may not be felt. The video still gets likes and comments from "FLKS friends". But over time, when they start to get busy or get bored of responding to interactions, engagement numbers will drop drastically. The algorithm will read this decline as a signal that your content is less popular, even though the problem is not in the content, but in audience relevance.
As a result, content that should be able to reach the target audience is instead buried among interactions that are not on target.
3. Psychological effects on creators (pseudo-motivation)
FLKS often gives the illusion of progress. Busy notifications, a high number of likes, and a fast increase in followers can make creators feel "wow, I'm on the right track". However, these figures do not necessarily reflect real growth.
The problem is, when motivation is built on mutual interaction, enthusiasm for creating content can suddenly plummet when the numbers start to fall. Many creators end up losing direction, even stopping working, because they feel they have tried hard but no longer get the "reply" they used to.
Healthy motivation should be born from a genuine connection with an audience that truly likes our work, not from digital remuneration
5. Potential decrease in reach after stopping FLKS
Many creators initially enjoyed the spike in engagement from FLKS, but were shocked when reach suddenly plummeted when they decided to stop doing it. This is not because the algorithm is “angry”, but rather because the main source of interaction, (i.e. replies from fellow FLKS participants) simply disappears.
As a result, the ratio of engaged viewers to total followers decreased sharply. The algorithm reads this as a sign that your content is less interesting to your audience, and then decreases its distribution on other people's feeds.
This phenomenon makes some creators trapped in a circle: they continue to do FLKS just to maintain numbers, even though the quality of account growth does not really increase.
6. How FLKS affects audience retention rates
Audience retention is one of the important factors that TikTok's algorithm looks at — how long people watch your video before scrolling to other content. Audiences of FLKS results often watch only a few seconds for “formality” before giving a like or short comment, then moving on to the next video.
As a result, the average viewing duration is low. For the algorithm, this is a signal that your content is less able to hold the audience's attention. Even if the number of views seems high, low retention can prevent your content from being spread more widely.
It's like having a shop full of visitors, but most of them only enter briefly without actually looking or buying — lots of numbers, but little real impact.
7. It is possible that the account is suspected of manipulating interactions
Even though TikTok does not explicitly prohibit FLKS, excessively “regular” and repetitive interaction patterns from the same accounts can be read as unnatural activity. For example, every time you upload a video, likes and comments come in a short time from the same group of people.
TikTok's system is designed to recognize suspicious behavior that could potentially manipulate the popularity of content. If detected, the distribution of your video can be limited without notification, or what is often called a "shadow ban". In extreme cases, an account can lose credibility in the eyes of the algorithm, making it difficult for your content to grow even if you start playing organically.
This means that not only your account growth is at risk, but also your digital reputation on the platform.
FLKS in the long term
FLKS' impact on the TikTok algorithm in the long term is often not apparent at first, because the algorithm does respond quickly to engagement signals — a spike in likes, comments, shares, and follows in a short period of time will usually result in a video being pushed to more viewers. However, TikTok's algorithm not only assesses the quantity of interactions, but also their quality. When the system starts to “recognize” that most interactions are coming from irrelevant audiences or just performing formal actions, the value of your content in the eyes of the algorithm will decrease. New videos may still appear on some people's feeds, but their reach will be increasingly limited because historical data shows that the average viewer doesn't watch for long, doesn't return to your content again, and doesn't engage naturally. Furthermore, these effects can last a long time. Even if you stop FLKS and start producing quality content, the algorithm takes time to “erase” traces of poor performance from the past. In other words, FLKS that is done continuously at the start can be a stumbling block that slows down account development later on, even when you are already playing organically.
Rapid growth is easy, but lasting growth only comes from a strong foundation.
So how do you shift your strategy from FLKS to natural growth?
Quitting the FLKS habit doesn't mean your account growth will immediately drop drastically and end. Instead, this is a moment to build a stronger foundation. The first step is to focus on creating content that is truly relevant to your target audience. Do a little research: find out what topics they watch most often, what formats make them want to share videos, and what delivery style they're most comfortable following.
Next, start building organic interactions with new viewers — reply to comments with valuable answers, create calls-to-action that spark conversation, and don't hesitate to invite them to follow your account for a clear reason, like regular updates or exclusive tips. That way, the relationship that exists will be more genuine, and the algorithm will get a signal that your content is of natural interest.
Granted, the results won't be as fast as the surge from FLKS, but steady and relevant growth will be much more long-lasting. It's like planting a tree: it takes time to grow, but the roots will be strong, and the produce will continue to bear fruit without having to be watered every hour.
