The easily accessible internet and the World Wide Web has made it easy for individuals to connect and interact with each other online in ways that were not possible just ten years ago (Plant, 2004). These technological advancements have transformed the way in which people interact in today’s society, with technology playing a more significant role than ever before. An online community refers to a group of individuals who interact in a virtual setting (Preece et al., 2003) which “work to fulfil two basic human desires: to reach out and connect to other human beings and to obtain knowledge” (Plant, 2004, p. 51). Various factors, such as shared interests, accessibility, and inclusivity, contribute to shaping these online communities encouraging user interaction and participation. TikTok is a popular social media platform that enables its users to share, discover, and interact with short-form video content and has become increasingly popular among younger generations. Viral trends, challenges, and diverse user-generated content encourages user participation and interaction within the app creating a community of individuals who enjoy engaging with or creating short-form video content. Users within this online community often refer to themselves as “TikTokers”. Despite being a platform that provides individuals with support networks, access to information/resources, and advocates empowerment, user participation within the TikTok online community has shown to have detrimental effects on individuals’ mental health. Through the representation of unrealistic beauty standards, cyberbullying/harassment, and misinformation within the app, TikTok users can experience increased levels of anxiety, stress, and feelings of inadequacy. The influence of online communities on users’ mental health today is concerning, especially with how prevalent social media is within our society. According to Ferguson (2021, p. 116), “recent years have seen increases in suicide and mental health concerns, political polarisation, and online aggression” with the increased usage of social media networks/platforms.
User participation within the TikTok digital community has been linked to negative impacts on individuals’ mental health due to the portrayal of unrealistic beauty standards. This can result in heightened levels of anxiety, stress, and feelings of inadequacy among users. In today’s society, TikTok has become an essential tool for young adults to use for connecting with others, gaining inspiration and expressing themselves, with “women aged 18–24 years making up the largest demographic of TikTok users globally (23.8%)” (Seekis & Kennedy, 2023, p. 117). TikTok creators often promote idealised beauty standards and lifestyles through their makeup and skincare routines, beauty product recommendations, and cosmetic procedure documentation (Seekis & Kennedy, 2023), which can have detrimental effects on a users’ self-esteem/body image, particularly among the younger demographic. Skincare routines for example are popular short-form videos often posted within the app. While intended to provide advice or offer tips/tricks, these videos can portray unrealistic beauty standards, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy and negative body image perceptions. High levels of exposure to appearance driven content or trends such as this can “indirectly lead to body image concerns via body shame, appearance anxiety, and comparison processes in young women” (Tylka et al., 2023, as cited in Seekis & Kennedy, 2023, p. 117). It’s a common behaviour within this app for users to alleviate their own insecurities or aggression by targeting others. The comment section on TikTok provides a space where users can share and discuss their thoughts, views and perspectives on videos posted by others, however, unfortunately is often used to share hateful or criticising comments towards others. These comment sections may contribute to users forming negative perceptions of their bodies as they are exposed to negative or degrading remarks about appearance (Liu, 2021), leading to feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. As harmful or hateful content continues to spread within the app, the occurrence of cyberbullying and harassment on TikTok has become a serious concern, also having negative impacts on users’ mental health.
Participation in the TikTok online community has been shown to negatively affect individuals’ mental health due to the occurrence of cyberbullying and harassment within the app. Watts et al. (2017, as cited in Zito, 2022, p. 22) defined cyberbullying as “the intent to consistently harass another individual to cause harm via any electronic method, including social media, and includes defamation, public disclosure of private facts, and intentional emotional distress.” There are many ways in which cyberbullying can occur within the TikTok application; by commenting in videos, creating, or sharing content that mocks/targets others, impersonating individuals, or even directly messaging users. These can all be forms of harassment that can leave an individual feeling distressed, anxious, and targeted, impacting their mental well-being and sense of safety within the TikTok community. Maia Knite (@maiaknite) is a TikTok creator who has shared her journey and experiences raising twins. As her primary audience was young mothers, she often shared “day in a life” videos offering advice and support to other young mothers. As her audience grew, she began to face extreme criticism and hate for her parenting decisions, and statements from her videos were often taken out of context. This had a significant impact on her mental health and well-being and felt unsafe sharing videos of her children. In response to this, she made the decision to stop showing her children’s faces on all social media platforms. In a TikTok video explaining this decision, she stated “I’m making a choice for my daughters to protect them…I’m doing this for my mental health” (Knite, 2022). It’s shocking that cyberbully or harassment online has gotten to the point where individuals feel unsafe and incapable of openly expressing themselves. Despite TikTok being “committed to continually improving how we protect our community” (TikTok, n.d.), it is difficult to mitigate or take control of cyberbullying due to the anonymity and ease of creating false identities online (Zito, 2022). In addition to the harmful effects of cyberbullying and harassment, the spread of misinformation within the TikTok community also impacts users’ mental health and well-being, causing feelings of uncertainty and distrust.
User participation in the TikTok online community has been shown to adversely impact individuals’ mental health due to the spread of misinformation within the app, increasing levels of anxiety, stress, and feelings of inadequacy among users. Misinformation refers to false or misleading information that is often spread through social media channels such as TikTok (Yeung & Abi-Jaoude, 2022), and according to Johnson (2022) “can be damaging as it is pervasive and threatens public health.” Information seen on social media platforms can significantly alter ones beliefs, with “adolescent users of TikTok, who make up more than 60% of the active user base, at substantial risk of misinformation” (Baumel et al., 2021, p. 1021). This poses a particular concern suggesting that adolescent users are especially impressionable and vulnerable to misinformation. Yeung & Abi-Jaoude (2022), conducted a study where they analysed the spread of health misinformation on social media platforms. They looked at the top 100 most popular videos about ADHD uploaded on TikTok by video creators in 2021. From this, they found that of the 100 analysed TikTok videos, 52% (approximately half) were classified as misleading. With mental health becoming a more prominent topic of conversation in social media, there is more information available online about various mental health diagnoses, symptoms, and treatments then ever before. However, due to the spread of misleading information, individuals might be led to believe false claims or experience delayed/ineffective treatment, causing unnecessary confusion or fear. Health misinformation can also increase stigma and create additional challenges for individuals dealing with mental health issues (Johnson, 2022), impacting their mental well-being. Unfortunately, it is difficult to mitigate or take control of misinformation due to the platform’s viral nature and widespread reach. Despite these challenges, it is also important to recognise that user participation in the TikTok online community also brings about positive impacts.
Considering the significance of the above concerns, it is also important to acknowledge the positive impacts of user participation within the TikTok online community on mental health. TikTok provides users with support networks, access to information/resources and advocates for empowerment. According to Hiebert and Kortes-Miller (2020, as cited in Zito, 2022, p. 9) “TikTok users can find themselves rapidly immersed in virtual communities of users that share similar interests and characteristics.” This allows users to find and connect with likeminded individuals to whom they can offer support and solidarity, resulting in positive effects on their mental well-being. TikTok also offers easy access to information and resources relating to any subject or concern, allowing users to explore and engage with a wide range of content that can positively impact their understanding and well-being. Finally, TikTok also supports empowerment by allowing users to create campaigns that raise awareness of social issues, including the LGBTQ community, Black Lives Matter, healthcare, women’s rights, poverty, and environmental concerns (Zito, 2022). Not only does this raise awareness of particular issues, but it also creates a safe environment for individuals to seek information or support, benefiting their mental health. While TikTok does offer some positive aspects, it is crucial to recognise the overarching problem being that user participation within TikTok has detrimental effects on individuals’ mental health due to factors such as unrealistic beauty standards, cyberbullying/harassment, and misinformation.
References:
Baumel, N. M., Spatharakis, J. K., Karitsiotis, S. T., & Sellas, E. I. (2021). Dissemination of mask effectiveness misinformation using TikTok as a medium. Journal of Adolescent Health, 68(5), 1021-1022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.01.029
Ferguson, C. J. (2021). Does the internet make the world worse? Depression, aggression, and polarization in the social media age. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 41(4), 116-135. https://doi.org/10.1177/027046762110645
Johnson, K. (2022). Misinformation of mental health on social media and how it affects those who view it. University of Northern Colorado, 1, 1-44. https://digscholarship.unco.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1075&context=honors
Knite, M. [@maiaknite]. (2022, December 24). [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@maiaknight?_t=8lQvaoWu8MJ&_r=1
Liu, J. (2021). The influence of the body image presented through TikTok trend-videos and its possible reasons. 2nd International Conference on Language, Art and Cultural Exchange (ICLACE 2021), 4, 359-363. http://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210609.072
Plant, R. (2004). Online communities. Technology in society, 26(1), 51-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2003.10.005
Preece, J., Maloney-Krichmar, D., & Abras, C. (2003). History of online communities. Encyclopedia of community, 3(86), 1023-1027. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=98e053f1e66dfa25747713be04b95a9fad3ccb5b
Seekis, V., & Kennedy, R. (2023). The impact of# beauty and# self-compassion TikTok videos on young women’s appearance shame and anxiety, self-compassion, mood, and comparison processes. Body Image, 45, 117-125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.02.006
TikTok. (n.d.) Countering hate on TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/countering-hate/
Yeung, A., Ng, E., & Abi-Jaoude, E. (2022). TikTok and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a cross-sectional study of social media content quality. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 67(12), 899-906. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674372210828
Zito, W. S. (2022). TikTok cyberbully responses: Communicating the narrative. Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 3622, 1-216. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/36
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