This study investigates TikTok audios and hashtags through the lens of digital literacy studies, using Ron Scollon's nexus of practice as a theoretical framework. The researcher sought to investigate literacy practices on TikTok, such as how lurkers and posters interact with the app in ways that both define and are defined by their individual identities. Relative to other social media platforms, there is a dearth of research on TikTok. This study contributes to the gap while also building off the findings of Kaye et al., who investigated authorship and (mis)attribution on the app, and Sachs et al.'s claim that Goffman's metaphorical front stage is weakening as users are able to select audiences for identity performance on TikTok. Through ethnographic semi-structured interviews and textual analysis, the researcher found that hashtags and audios work in tandem on TikTok; both hashtags and audios work to traditionally sort videos for users, hashtags offer creators an additional boost to their views, and audios act as an additional sorting mechanism. Furthermore, the study found evidence that audios signal a video's content prior to viewing. The findings additionally opposed Sachs et al.'s claim about the front stage weakening; rather, the participants were acutely aware of the “mortifying ordeal of being known,” with TikTok allowing users to have multiple “front stages'' to perform different aspects of themselves on, while still keeping certain parts to the “backstage.”

Based on the news coverage published 2020 that exposed practices of censorship and shadowbanning of LGBTQ+ creators implemented with the help of the TikTok algorithm the aim of this thesis was established (Ryan et al., 2020). The thesis analyze communication published on the Reddit forum r/actuallesbians regarding the lesbian community on TikTok to examine if there had been algorithmic “folk theories” created regarding the platform’s algorithm. This was done by performing a qualitative thematic content analysis of posts dedicated to the subject of TikTok’s algorithm and lesbian TikTok creators sourced from the Reddit forum. The data sample collected was 4 Reddit posts and their 116 subsequential comments published by 68 users. This analysis found that there were two main themes present in the user’s algorithmic theories; algorithm as it is and algorithm as you make it. Depending on the individuals’ beliefs regarding the algorithm it also affected their belief on the platforms ability to host a diverse lesbian community. The study found that the community had created opposing “folk theories” regarding the function of the algorithm and to what extent the community could create narratives representing the whole community. Depending on the “folk theory” the users were analyzed to fit into, they exhibited different behaviors and beliefs on how community could be created on the platform.

The aim of this thesis is to analyse the first TikTok posts of the Swiss government that were published during the pandemic. This thesis investigates how their Covid-19 vaccine campaign is presented on TikTok and contributes to the field of crisis communication. For this, the analysis relied on two theoretical frameworks. On the one hand, Barthes’ concepts of denotation and connotation (1968) helped to structure the analysis and allowed a clear distinction between the description of visual and textual aspects of the posts as well as possible interpretations. On the other hand, taking the concept of framing (Goffman, 1974) allowed to categorise data and draw patterns of association of the government’s communication with the public. Results of this study show that the frames evidence and facts, claim, call for action and personal motivation are represented in the government’s Covid-19 vaccine-related TikTok posts. Thereby, the government let experts in the field answer to topics of interest to the public and address several concerns about the vaccine such as causing side effects, infertility, allergic reactions, and immunisation after the vaccination. On the other hand, posts also speak to young users and show benefits of getting vaccinated in terms of having more freedom when travelling, meeting people and partying. All in all, the posts make a stiff and planned impression as in an interview situation. Furthermore, people shown in the posts are all middle-class Caucasians, which excludes other subgroups of the population such as non-Caucasians or those with a migration background and is critically discussed. Further studies could elaborate on governments’ post-pandemic communication or other platforms and campaigns.

Denna studie utforskar Lilla Aktuellts nyhetsvärdering under tidsperioden 9 maj 2023 till 22 februari 2024. Syftet med denna undersökning har varit att jämföra nyhetsvärderingen i Lilla Aktuellts sändningar och TikTok-videoklipp. Sociala medier har påverkat människors nyhetskonsumtion och där antalet barn och unga som får sina nyheter från sociala medier plattformar har ökat. Vårt teoretiska ramverk baseras på Håkan Hvitfelts teori om nyhetsvärdering, där 10 punkter omfattar hans kriterier för nyhetsvärdering. Teorin om medielogik har tillämpats för att se vilka skillnader i utförande som sker när man byter plattformar.   Genom en kvantitativ innehållsanalys kodade vi Lilla Aktuellts 100 sändningar och 100 TikTok-videoklipp. I studien undersöker vi ämnen som förekommer i både broadcast och på TikTok, vilken ordning dessa ämnen placeras i och till sist vilka aktörer som kommer till tals i både programmet och TikTok. I vårt resultat för nyhetsvärderingen framkommer det att båda plattformarna tenderar att fokusera på ämnen inom nöje/kultur, sport och samhälle. Utifrån vårt resultat för de som kommer till tals har vi kommit fram till att barn och elitpersoner är de två största aktörerna.

This study examines how young people, in particular adolescents in the ages 18 to 20 years old, use Tiktok to access news. A qualitative interview survey is conducted and analyzed based on the uses-and-gratifications theory and the perception of News-Finds-Me. The respondents taking part in the interviews explain how they use Tiktok to access news, discuss the apps algorithms and how they function on Tiktok. They also talk about in what ways they are influenced by Tiktok and their view on Tiktok and misinformation. Among the respondents, it becomes clear that young people in the ages 18 to 20 years old use Tiktok as their first hand choice as a news source and that they use it every day - for many hours a day. These young adults still find Tiktok as a necessary social media to use to stay updated with world news and what is going on in society and to stay in tune with popular trends. The findings show that these young adults also use Tiktok to stay in touch with relatives and close and distant friends. It also appears that the young adults see Tiktok as a platform to waste time on when bored and that the negative side of using Tiktok for news is that you get addicted to the app, because of its addictive design and algorithms that suggest what you want to see on the app.

Titel : Influencer marketing på TikTok och Instagram: Hur påverkas konsumentens varumärkesattityd, trovärdighet och köpintention?  Nivå : Kandidatuppsats, examensarbete i ämnet Företagsekonomi med inriktning på marknadsföring Författare : Ellen Högberg och Mira Granberg Handledare : Peter Ek Examinator : Lars-Johan Åge Datum : 22 Maj 2024 Syfte : Syftet med denna studie är att skapa förståelse för huruvida val av social plattform i kombination med typ av influencer har en påverkan på konsumentens upplevda trovärdighet, varumärkesattityd och köpintention. Metod : Studien har utgångspunkt i en kvantitativ forskningsdesign med en kumulativ utgångspunkt. Datainsamlingen genererades utifrån en webbaserad enkätstudie som skapades i Google Forms. Enkäten genererade totalt 113 svar och analyserades via en tvåvägs ANOVA-analys. Resultat och diskussion : Resultatet av studien indikerar att det inte finns någon märkbar kombinationseffekt mellan valet av influencer och valet av social plattform. Trots detta visar studien en betydande skillnad när det gäller val av plattform, med Instagram som det primära alternativet. Studien finner ingen signifikant skillnad i valet av influencer. Möjligtvis kan detta bero på att konsumenterna har blivit mer bekanta med denna typ av marknadsföring. Studiens bidrag : Studiens bidrag rekommenderas till de företag som använder sig av influencer marketing. Valet av influencer typ har ingen betydande roll när det gäller den upplevda trovärdigheten, varumärkesattityden eller köpintentionen. Dock bör företag prioritera Instagram framför TikTok som en social plattform för att maximera sin påverkan på konsumenten.   Förslag till vidare forskning : Genom en kvalitativ studie och exempelvis intervjuer, hade det varit lättare att urskilja orsakerna bakom de kvantitativa siffrorna som studien visat. Det hade även varit intressant om framtida forskning hade fokuserat på ett kostnadsperspektiv.  Nyckelord : Influencer marketing, makroinfluencer, mikroinfluencer, köpintention, varumärkesattityd, trovärdighet, TikTok, Instagram / Title: Influencer marketing on TikTok and Instagram: How does it influence consumer attitude, credibility and purchase intention? Level: Final thesis for Bachelor's degree in business administration with a focus on marketing.  Authors: Ellen Högberg och Mira Granberg Supervisor: Peter Ek Examiner: Lars-Johan Åge Date: May 22nd 2024 Aim: The purpose of this study is to create an understanding of whether the choice of social platform in combination with the type of influencer has an impact on the consumer's perceived credibility, brand attitude and purchase intention.  Method: The study is based on a quantitative research design with a cumulative starting point. The data collection was generated based on a web-based survey study created in Google Forms. The survey generated a total of 113 responses and was analysed via a two-way ANOVA analysis.  Result and conclusion/discussion: The results of the study indicate that there is no noticeable combination effect between the choice of influencer and the choice of social platform. Despite this, the study shows a significant difference in platform choice, with Instagram being the primary option. The study finds no significant difference in the choice of influencer. Possibly this could be because consumers have become more familiar with this type of marketing. Contribution: The study's contributions are recommended to companies that use influencer marketing. The choice of influencer type has no significant role in terms of perceived credibility, brand attitude or purchase intention. However, companies should prioritize Instagram over TikTok as a social platform to maximize their impact on the consumer. Suggestions for future research: By using a qualitative study, for example interviews, it would have been easier to discern the reasons behind the quantitative figures that the study showed. It would also have been interesting if future research had observed the same problems as this study, but that the study focuses on a cost perspective. Keywords : Influencer marketing, macroinfluencer, microinfluencer, purchase intention, brand attitude, credibility, TikTok, Instagram

Social media platform TikTok has grown in recent years to become a market leader. Gen Z is a large part of the app's users and they are also more likely to make impulsive purchases. TikTok exposes personalized content to the individuals, which provokes unexpected purchase intentions. The focus of the study is on consumer discovery of viral content related to products from the furniture and interior design industry. The theory review of the research highlights the connection between TikTok and the impulsive buying behavior, as well as the layers that the individual goes through in between.  The purpose of this study is to explore and understand how furniture and interior design that has gone viral on TikTok contributes to Gen Z's impulsive buying behavior. This study aims to provide an understanding of the phenomenon of virality as well as an insight into Gen Z's impulsive buying behaviors. In order to answer the research question, empirical data was collected through a qualitative research method using ten semi-structured interviews. The respondents belonged to Gen Z and were resident in Sweden. The empirical data was analyzed using the method of thematic analysis, which produced three new themes and enabled the research question to be answered.  The conclusion of the thesis showed that TikTok contributes to Gen Z's impulsive buying behavior. EWOM has played a major role in the respondents' purchase decisions. Reviews have evoked needs that then led to impulse purchases while also preventing other purchases when reviews explained the negative features of the product. The results of the study show that the sample means that more impulse purchases have been made since TikTok became the market leader.

Inledning: I inledningen redogörs för hur digitala sociala nätverk har växt fram och tagit en allt större plats i konsumenters vardag vilket har gjort dem till utmärkta marknadsföringskanaler. Därefter förklaras det nyaste stjärnskottet bland sociala medier, TikTok, och dess potentiella roll inom marknadsföring.  Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur marknadsföring genom sociala medier påverkar unga svenska konsumenters attityder.  Frågeställningar: Utifrån studiens syfte har två frågeställningar formulerats:  1. Vilken påverkan har marknadsföring genom TikTok på unga konsumenters kognitiva och affektiva attitydkomponent samt beteendekomponent?  2. Vad har bakgrundsvariabler (demografiska och användning) för effekt på unga konsumenters attityder till marknadsföring genom TikTok?  Teori: I studiens teoriavsnitt presenteras sociala medier som marknadsföringsverktyg mer utförligt. Därefter förklaras det komplexa begreppet attityd som delas in i tre olika attitydkomponenter. Vidare beskrivs teori runt word-of-mouth, content marketing, Generation Z, skillnader mellan könen samt skillnader mellan olika typer av användare Metod: Studien är grundad i en kvantitativ metod och en tvärsnittsdesign har tillämpats. Empirin har samlats in genom enkäter online. Data har sedan analyserats i det statistiska programmet SPSS med T-tester, korrelationsanalyser och ANOVA-analyser.  Slutsats: Studien har visat att marknadsföring genom TikTok inte har en positiv påverkan på konsumenters attityder. Dock är detta den första studien av sitt slag och det krävs därför mer forskning för att stärka eller förkasta resultatet. Word-of-mouth och content marketing hade ett starkt positivt samband med konsumenternas attityder. Det fanns inga skillnader mellan könen. En liten skillnad upptäcktes mellan olika användare där de som någon gång publicerat något på TikTok hade positivare kognitiv attityd än de som aldrig publicerat något. / Introduction: The introduction consist of how the digital world of social networking has evolved and been given more room in the individuals everyday life which has made it possible for the platforms to become excellent marketing channels. Then the study presents the new sensation TikTok and their potential part in marketing. Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the influence of TikTok marketing communications on young consumers’ cognitive, affective and behavioral attitude components in Sweden.  Research questions: Based on the study’s purpose the following research questions where phrased:  1. What influence do TikTok marketing communications have on young consumers’ cognitive, affective and behavioral attitude components?  2. What influence do background variables have on young consumers’ attitudes towards marketing through TikTok?  Theory: The theoretical part of the study provides more in-depth explanations about social media as a marketing tool, the complex concept of an attitude which can be divided into three different components. Furthermore, the theories of word-of-mouth, content marketing, Generation Z, differences in genders attitudinal responses, and differences among various types of users, are described. Method: The study is based on a quantitative method and a cross-sectional design was applied. An online survey was used via self-administered questionnaires that where distributed through a snowball sampling. Data was analyzed through the statistical tool SPSS by using T-tests, bivariate correlation analysis and ANOVA analysis. Conclusion: The study discovered that young consumers displayed unfavorable attitudes towards marketing communications through TikTok. However, both word-of-mouth and content marketing was positively correlated to attitudes. No significant differences were found between genders. Individuals who had at least posted content sometime on TikTok displayed more favorable cognitive attitudes than those who had never posted on TikTok.

Datum: 2023-05-30 Nivå: Kandidatuppsats i Företagsekonomi, 15 hp  Institution: Akademin för Ekonomi, Samhälle och Teknik, Mälardalens Universitet  Författare: Alva Landberg (96/07/03), Emma Inge (98/02/15), Felicia Schönning (98/11/02)                                                                                 Titel: Användargenererat innehåll på TikTok och dess påverkan; En kvantitativ undersökning av generation Z's köpintention och köpbeslut Handledare: Pejvak Oghazi Nyckelord: Användargenererat innehåll, Attityder, Elektronisk Word of Mouth (eWOM), Generation Z, Köpbeslut, Köpintention, TikTok Forskningsfrågor: (1) Hur påverkar användandet av TikTok generation Z’s köpbeslut? (2) Har användargenererat innehåll på TikTok något samband med generation Z’s köpintention? (3) Hur påverkas generation Z’s köpbeslut av användargenererat innehåll på TikTok? (4) Hur påverkar användandet av TikTok generation Z’s attitydkomponenter; kognitiv, affektiv och beteende? (5) Vilka skillnader finns mellan generation Z och millennials vid användandet av TikTok?   Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka ifall användargenererat innehåll på sociala medieplattformen TikTok påverkar generation Z's köpintention och köpbeslut. Metod: Studien är baserad på en kvantitativ forskningsansats där primärdata samlats in i form av en digital enkätundersökning. Datan samlades in med ett resultat av 183 respondenter med ett bortfall på 30, vilket gav 150 validerade svar. Datan analyserades sedan via en korrelationsanalys, Cronbach’s alfa, regressionsanalys och en korstabulering i det statistiska dataprogrammet SPSS. Slutsats: Resultatet visade att användargenererat innehåll på TikTok har ett samband med generation Z’s köpintention och köpbeslut. En ökad användning av TikTok bidrar till att attitydkomponenterna; kognitiv, affektiv, beteende påverkas positivt av rekommendationer från användare på TikTok, vilket bidrar till en ökad köpintention som senare leder till ett köpbeslut. / Date: 2023-05-30 Level: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors: Alva Landberg (96/07/03), Emma Inge (98/02/15), Felicia Schönning (98/11/02)  Title: User-generated content on TikTok and its impact; A quantitative study of generation Z's purchase intention and purchase decision Supervisor: Pejvak Oghazi Keywords: Attitudes, Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM), Generation Z, Purchase decision, Purchase intention, TikTok, User Generated Content (UGC) Research questions: (1) How does the use of TikTok affect generation Z's purchase decisions? (2) Does user-generated content on TikTok relate to generation Z's purchase intention? (3) How does user-generated content on TikTok influence generation Z’s purchasing decisions? (4) How does using TikTok affect generation Z's attitudinal components; cognitive, affective, and behavioral? (5) What are the differences between generation Z and millennials when using TikTok? Purpose: This study aims to investigate if user-generated content on the social media platform TikTok influences generation Z's purchase intention and purchase decision. Method: This study is based on a quantitative research approach where primary data has been collected through an online survey. The data was collected with a result of 183 respondents with a non-response rate of 30, which gave a total of 150 validated responses. The data were analyzed through a correlation analysis, Cronbach's Alpha, regression analysis and a cross-tabulation in the statistical data program SPSS. Conclusion: The result showed that user-generated content on TikTok has a connection with generation Z's purchase intention and purchase decision. Increased use of TikTok contributes to the attitudinal components; cognitive, affective and behavior is positively affected by recommendations from users on TikTok, which contributes to an increased purchase intention that leads to a purchase decision.

TikTok är en sociala medier-plattform där användarna kan publicera korta videoklipp. Applikationen används idag av över 1 miljard människor. Plattformen erbjuder funktioner som främjar interaktion och kunskapsutbyte mellan användarna. Underhållning är sedan tidigare förknippat med TikTok men sedan 2020 har även ung aktivism börjat ta plats på plattformen. På TikTok kan användare uttrycka sociala värderingar och nätverka med varandra, det är även vanligt att hashtags används för att koppla videoklippen till ett specifikt ämne. Syftet med studien är att förstå hur TikTok-användarna upplever audiovisuell information som berör ämnet feminism. Videoklipp har valts ut från plattformen via sökordet feminism samt hashtaggen #feminism. Därefter genomfördes en innehållsanalys av klippen för att avgöra deras likheter och olikheter, för att på så sätt kunna välja ut fem klipp att använda i studiens nästa fas. De fem klippen presenterades i kvalitativa intervjuer där respondenterna svarade på frågor och uttryckte sina åsikter kring bland annat trovärdighet, funktioner och informationen i sig. Det insamlade materialet jämfördes och analyserades dels utifrån respondenternas olika upplevelser, dels ur ett teoretiskt perspektiv.  Respondenterna i studien visade störst intresse för två förklarande videoklipp som presenterade ny information genom att använda bilder, video och tal.  Information som presenterades med hjälp av bilder ansågs underlätta förståelsen för budskapet, göra videoklippet mer intressant och bidra till att öka respondenternas nyfikenhet. Ett annat klipp som uppskattades använde ett narrativ för att framföra utbildande underhållning som mottagarna kunde relatera till. Mottagarnas vilja att engagera sig kunde kopplas till deras positiva upplevelser av hur informationen presenterades i dessa klipp. Studien visade även att mottagarens upplevelser påverkas av individens tidigare kunskap, deras informationsbehov, motivation till att använda TikTok samt hur de bearbetar information. / TikTok is a social media platform where users produce short videos. Today TikTok is used by over 1 billion people. The application offers various features that promotes interaction and knowledge exchange among its users. Entertainment is strongly associated with TikTok, however since 2020 the use of the platform for youth activism has increased. On TikTok, users can express their social values and cooperate with each other. It is also common to use hashtags as a way of linking videos to a specific topic. The aim of this study is to understand how TikTok users experience audiovisual information regarding the topic of feminism. Videos were selected from the platform by using the search word feminism and the hashtag #feminism. This was followed by a content analysis to determine the videos differences and similarities, which enabled the final selection of five videos to be used in the next step of the study. The five videos were then presented during qualitative interviews where the respondents answered questions and expressed their opinions about for example trustworthiness, features and the information itself. The data was compared and analyzed both from a theoretical point of view and regarding different experiences expressed by the respondents. The respondents in this study showed the most interest in an explanatory video which presented them with new information by using pictures, video and speech.  The respondents showed greatest interest in two explanatory videos who presented new information by using pictures, video and speech. Information presented with pictures were considered to facilitate the understanding of the message, make it more interesting and arouse curiosity. Another video appreciated by the respondents used a narrative to convey entertaining education they could relate to. The recipients’ willingness to engage in the videos were linked to their positive experiences of how the information was presented. This study also shows that previous knowledge, information needs, motivation to use TikTok as well as different processing styles affected the respondents’ experiences.