Abstract

This report investigates the influence of the popular social media platform TikTok on how we receive our news. With the rapid growth of TikTok and its algorithm-driven content delivery, this report highlights the shift from traditional news media to social media content. It discusses the challenges
posed by the spread of fake news and how the platform combats the spread of false information. The report also delves into the potential negative of the short-form platform has on our attention span and mental health, citing studies about the potential threat of “TikTok Brain.” It underscores the
need for ongoing research to find solutions to mitigate the negative effects of TikTok

Introduction 

The media can be a powerful tool that can educate and inform us about current events or issues around the world. (Matsa & Shearer, 2018) However, in today’s contemporary society where computers and iPhones have become an integral part of our everyday lives, the news cycle is now all about clickbait and entertainment on social media platforms. (Matsa & Shearer, 2018) Advancements in technology have birthed a new generation where everyone is glued to their devices, and reliance and dependence on technology has become the new way of life (Doyle 2024). TikTok, an online short video sharing platform released in 2016 by ByteDance, has seen a rise in popularity in recent years
(Doyle 2024). The social media platform, originally launched in China in September 2016 as DouYin, has been downloaded worldwide more than 2.7 billion times in over 160 countries (Doyle 2024).
TikTok has had a huge impact on various aspects of today’s society, from entertinment, music, social trends, and so on (Doyle 2024). Recently, the influence of bite-sized video contents has adapted to the new generation of news media (Matsa & Shearer, 2018). The rapid growth of the popularity of
TikTok is accompanied by a range of negative effects on the traditional news platforms and how we gather our information by creating misleading, clickbait information, and fostering a short attention span.

News Consumption and TikTok

There has been a drastic change in news or information consumption, from people waiting for their morning papers to now accessing all the information needed on their phones. There has been a growing change of newspaper readers changing to social media for their daily news. A study done in
2018 by the Pew Research Centre states that 68% of adult Americans are using social media such as Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok for their news updates, with 14% of those people using TikTok (Matsa & Shearer, 2018). The study also shows that TikTok has seen a rapid growth of younger generations using the platform for information and news consumption (Matsa & Shearer, 2018). News agencies are quickly adapting to the new age of social media, podcasting short videos to attract the younger demographic (Newman 2022). Research done by Oxford University and the Reuters Institute has shown that 49% of the top news organizations are now publishing content on TikTok (Newman, 2022). Across 44 countries, the highest and fastest publisher adoption of TikTok has been Indonesia 90%, Australia at 89%, and France at 86% (Newman 2022).

Even though the functions and services offered by TikTok have already been made available by previously established media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram, the rapid growth of popularity of TikTok is driven by its smart and engaging algorithm (Bhandari 2022). With TikTok, the user experience is driven by what is called the “for you” feed, which provides users with endless
looping bite-sized videos that grab the viewers’ attention (Bhandari 2022). Even though algorithms are evident in other social media platforms, they are only used as an enhancement or a small element of the user experience, while TikTok positions its algorithm as its central focus on attracting viewers and determining the type of content exposed to the user (Bhandari 2022). However, even though TikTok’s algorithmic approach has aided in the rapid growth of the media platform’s popularity, the short-formed video platform has raised concerns about the effect it may have on how we consume our information and news.

Spread of Fake Information

Society’s tendency to accept information at face value without questioning its factual accuracy is concerning (Bautista 2021). In the new digital age, TikTok and other social media platforms have a big responsibility in the spread of false news; one reason is due to the rise of personalized newsfeeds (Amadeo 2023). Rapid technological advancement has made sharing this information more
accessible than ever, and the option to remain anonymous online exacerbates the problem (Amadeo 2023). This has created a new social fabric where niche and problematic views, or misinformation, can spread without any intervention (Bautista 2021). This is problematic because the influence of
unsavoury or bigoted views allowed to foster on the internet can form a community at large, which is harmful to society’s progress towards social values of justice and equality (Bautista 2021). Additionally, the rise of personalized newsfeeds that are algorithmic rather than chronological means
that people are consuming news that aligns with their pre-existing beliefs, and they are more likely to avoid or dismiss information that challenges those views (Klug 2020). While social media can create positive opportunities for people to communicate, it has simultaneously created a platform on which
problematic ideas can be normalized or even supported (Klug 2020).

TikTok has grown into a global social media platform attracting all types of different users (Bautista 2021). The new trend was quickly caught on by the news media and journalists. However, the ease of sharing information on the platform allows self-claimed professionals, which aids the spread of
misleading information (Bautista 2021). On the morning of February 3rd, 2021, TikTok product manager Gina Hernandez announced that a new feature has been released by TikTok to combat the spread and sharing of false and misleading information (Hernandez 2021). The new prompt aims to
help users reconsider and ensure that the information posted is not misleading before they share (Hernandez 2021). TikTok has partnered with fact-checkers at PolitiFact, Lead Stories, and SciVerify to limit users’ exposure to misleading content (Hernandez 2021). The video will be deleted if false information is detected by the fact-checkers (Hernandez 2021).

Process of Fact-Checking

Identification of Misleading Information: Content is monitored for potential false information (Hernandez, 2021). The process requires fact checkers to scan through the feed or rely on suspicion reports by users (Hernandez, 2021). Engagers will spot a banner notifying that the video has not been reviewed (Hernandez, 2021).

Verification: If misleading content is detected, research is conducted to check if the information is accurate or misleading (Hernandez, 2021). The creator for the content will receive a notification notifying that their video has been flagged (Hernandez, 2021).

Sharing of Flagged Videos: If a engager attempts to share the flagged content, they will be notified about the flagged content (Hernandez, 2021). Additional steps will be required by pausing the engager to confirm that they insist on sharing or cancel (Hernandez, 2021).

Even though fact checkers and verification agents play a major role in ensuring that misleading information is detected, the algorithmic nature of the TikTok platform prioritizes engagement, and such efforts can be lost (Pierri, Ceri. 2019). Another issue arises due to the lack of interaction between the fact checker and the audience, which hinders the effectiveness of the system (Perez
2021). Increasing the interaction with the viewers may improve the effectiveness of the fact-checking efforts (Perez 2021).

Short Content Consumption

The interaction of information has changed dramatically in the past years due to social media’s short form content. Social media giants like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok have adopted this content to keep viewers addicted and increase their screentime (Klug, 2020). Studies show that people always
underestimate the time they spend on TikTok, due to how short but addictive these videos are (Sijercic, 2023). The social media platform captures viewers’ attention using short and engaging videos that align with the viewers’ interests (Sijercic, 2023). The extensive use of TikTok raises an important question: whether the exposure to TikTok has a negative effect on our attention span?
‘TikTok Brain’ is a term used to describe the harmful effect of the platform (Sijercic, 2023). The app’s endless loop of short videos contributes to the loss of attention span like no other platforms have (Sijercic, 2023). The platform encourages users to summarize their information in short videos, which
forces engagers to consume content in smaller bites (Sijercic, 2023). The platform allows users to view high amounts of content in a short period of time (Sijercic, 2023). This then trains the brain to prefer shorter information and quick stimulus (Sijercic, 2023). This could negatively impact the new
generation, slowly losing focus and motivation for schoolwork (Sijercic, 2023). Heavy TikTok users are also shown to multitask or switch between tasks more frequently (Kohler, 2023).

There has been a high correlation between high amounts of social media use and poor mental health (Kohler, 2023). The addictive nature of the platform traps engagers with its short engaging videos. Studies have shown that even though some users do not believe that they are addicted to TikTok,
they admit that a lot of time is wasted using the platform (Kohler, 2023). A study conducted with 1346 adolescents, within the 1147 users, 686 users state that they are moderate users and 461 state that they are addictive users (Chao et al., 2023). The study showed that addictive users are prone to mental health conditions than non and moderate users (Chao et al., 2023). This could be caused by academic stress and lack of social engagement (Chao et al., 2023).

Conclusion

In summary, this report investigated the digital age and the growing concerns about how the popular social media platform is changing the way we receive and consume information. The class-leading algorithm used by TikTok has captured the attention of users worldwide. The short yet engaging videos have raised major concerns about the spread of false information and the effect of ‘TikTok Brain.

The focus on user engagement such as sharing and reacting to content encourages the spread of false information and unhealthy ideology. Despite the important works of Fact Checkers, the powerful algorism and its focus on driving content means that the spread of false information remains a serious concern.

Moreover, the addictive bite sized content from TikTok raises the question about its negative impact on our brain function such as addiction and concentration spam. Numerous studies have shown the impact that this short content could have on our daily lives. The user friendly and the addictive
nature of the platform has raised concern about the so called “TikTok Brain” and the strong correlation between TikTok addiction and poor mental health among the new generations.

Even though TikTok allows the opportunity for users to engage in a creative environment and the ability to share their thoughts and ideas, but the rapid growing platform raises risks in many factors. It is crucial for ongoing research by professionals to understand the extent of impact it will have in an
extend period. Solutions and changes should be made to combat these negative impacts, to ensure all users could enjoy the platform in a positive matter.

References

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TikTok Statistics – Everything You Need to Know [Jan 2024 Update]

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https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:a2121c08-e16d-4bf9-bbe7-18f34ceaa64e/files/spr76f484j