TikTok differs from how the media audience is used to seeing other social media platforms. When opening the app, the user does not see the friends you have decided to follow. Instead, you are faced with an algorithmically decided and never-ending feed of content personified individually for the specific user. In recent years, TikTok has become a prominent and rapidly growing platform, especially among younger media users. The emergence of TikTok usage among the youth implies an increased need for examining cultural phenomena that are performed on this platform. This study will be exploring the emergence of the online phenomenon known as mediated public shaming on TikTok by critically reviewing how young Swedish TikTok users are engaging in and experiencing the mediated public shaming that is occurring on TikTok as well as its effects by taking a theoretical departure from media literacy theories. The study is a qualitative reception study where the empirical material is conducted by one-to-one interviews with nine mundane Swedish TikTok users between the ages of 16–27. It was discovered that young TikTok users have a complex relationship with the mediated public shaming they face on TikTok and engage in the concept in a rather objective and reflective manner. They do, however, express concern that the design of the media, in conjunction with mediated public shaming, may allow for subconscious effects of their opinions. Looking forward, there is an indicated compelling need for continued research within the field, proposedly further research of online cultures’ roles in the determination of platform design and construction of algorithms.

In conjunction with the rise of populism all over the globe, social media has been acknowledged as an important arena for populist actors to disseminate their political ideas. This thesis aims to examine the relationship between social media and right-wing populism by exploring how an online platform mediates right-wing populist discourses. In contrast to the existing literature on this relationship, the social media platform TikTok is studied in this thesis. This study examines how online activists that are campaigning for the Sweden Democrats utilize the possibilities provided by TikTok’s material functions in relation to the social context in which they are used. Participant observation was conducted to study these dynamics, understood as platform affordances. The results show that the activists disseminate right-wing populist ideas on TikTok by utilizing functions for self-publication (of video). In terms of the proliferation of these videos, populist communication styles appear to be favored on this platform. A mapping of the social composition and available resources of these activists shows that their usage of the platform to conduct activism is affected by these factors, demonstrating different pathways to becoming an influential activist on TikTok.

The thesis examines the subcultural activities and online fan community of Drainers (fans of the music collective Drain Gang) through TikTok. A netnographic analysis of fans’ engagement and community cultivation through prosumption is done through participation observation.  Samples taken using a non-probability purposive sampling method are analyzed, categorized, and coded. By using theories of prosumption, uses and gratifications and a contemporary online take on subcultural theory from Bennet (2004) as well as Genova et al. (2022), the samples provide an insight into Drainers and their subculture.  Results from the study suggest that community within TikTok is easy to find, yet difficult to regulate. It can thus be both a space for creative participation and opportunity for exploring identity as much as it can be for receiving negative comments and further stigmatization. Regardless of the app’s implications and limitations, it does successfully provide a platform for fans to connect, bond, share ideas and create authentic identity and a subcultural status.  While plenty of previous research concerning fans and their communities exist, this study is through researcher’s immersion opening up a discussion about Drain Gang’s subculture and fans, which is essentially an untouched area of research. Although limitations are present such as lack of possibility to pick samples on TikTok based on publication date, as well as bias while collecting samples, it provides an insight into the online community and subculture which can be used to further explore the topic.

Den här kvalitativa studien undersöker hur marknadsföring på TikTok påverkar konsumenters köpbeslutsprocess och köpbeslut – med särskilt fokus på konsumtion av mode och kläder. Vidare vill den här studien klargöra för de faktorer som driver konsumenter att bryta sina uttalade värderingar och intentioner under köpbeslutsprocessen i förhållande till hållbarhetsaspekterna. En särskild uppmärksamhet kommer att riktas mot det gröna gapet, det vill säga den diskrepans som finns mellan konsumenters uttalade värderingar och intentioner kring hållbarhet och deras faktiska köpbeslut. Teorier om plattformslogik och kognitiv dissonans kommer således att användas för att belysa det här fenomenet. På så sätt syftar den här studien till att öka medvetenheten om konsumenters uppfattningar om de sociala, ekonomiska och ekologiska hållbarhetsaspekterna och huruvida de tas i beaktning vid konsumtion av mode och kläder samt om TikToks plattformslogik. De frågeställningar som studien kommer att besvara är Hur påverkar marknadsföring på plattformen TikTok konsumenters köpbeslut inom konsumtion av mode och kläder? och Vad driver konsumenter att gå emot deras uttalade värderingar och intentioner trots att det finns en ökad medvetenhet kring hållbarhetsaspekterna? För att uppnå syftet och besvara frågeställningarna har studien använt sig av både en abduktiv och en kvalitativ ansats. Empirin som den här studien vilar på har vidare samlats in genom en kvalitativ datainsamling av relevant material och genom åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer med aktiva TikTok användare som konsumerar mode och kläder. För att öka intervjuernas validitet har vidare fältanteckningar tagits under intervjuerna.Utifrån studiens resultat har det framkommit att TikTok som sociala medieplattform har en betydande roll när det gäller konsumtion av mode och kläder. Däremot har det ur intervjuerna framgått att plattformen inte påverkar konsumenter till den grad att det har lett till ett faktiskt köpbeslut. Vidare har det framgått att det gröna gapet går att identifiera i samband med hållbar konsumtion och konsumentbeteende. Kognitiv dissonans var en återkommande faktor när det gällde bortförklaringar och rationaliserande av olika tidigare köpbeslut av mode och kläder samtidigt som en rad andra faktorer kunde identifieras.

With the rise of social media platforms and the increasing popularity of short-form video content, TikTok has emerged as one of the dominant platforms for entertainment, information sharing, and commerce. This thesis aims to examine the influence of community commerce TikTok content on adult users, exploring the impact it has on their purchasing behaviors, perceptions, and overall engagement. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods in an online survey. The quantitative analysis of results involves assessing demographic data in addition to establishing a clear, unambiguous understanding of the participants including their exposure to community commerce content, motivations for engagement, and existing purchase behavior. In the analysis of qualitative data, open-ended and narrative responses are analyzed. These responses speak to personal realities and provide insight on distinctive opinions. The theories deployed in the design of the study are Social Influence theory, the Stimulus-Organism-Response Model (SOR), and Word of Mouth (WOM). The findings of this research contribute to existing literature on social media marketing, digital commerce, and consumer behavior. The outcome of the study revealed that users feel more inclined to make a purchase in response to TikTok content (compared to traditional marketing) when the content feels catered to their interests and multiple users on the platform attest to a product's value. This category of content is referred to as community commerce, which intersects community, shopping, and entertainment. The elements that make this content unique were revealed to have the power to influence someone who has never made a purchase from TikTok before to be more inclined to do so if the content is relevant enough.  As such, the conclusions of this thesis also imply several implications for society at large. These include a more authentic approach to future influencer marketing, the democratization of trend-setting, and leveling the opportunities for small businesses that are up against larger brands.

Digitaliseringen har förändrat samhället och idag använder en stor del av Sveriges befolkning sociala medier. Tiktok är idag en av världens största sociala medieplattform och det blir alltmer attraktivt för företag att marknadsföra sig på plattformen. I takt med digitaliseringen har konsumenter börjat lita mindre på företagens marknadsföring och istället ökat förtroendet för andra konsumenter. User generated content (UGC) blir alltmer populärt, och konsumenter litar till större del på obetalda åsikter på sociala medier jämfört med marknadsföring från företagen. För att ta reda på om företag bör använda sig av UGC som en marknadsföringsstrategi på TikTok, är studiens syfte att undersöka om UGC på sociala medieplattformen TikTok har en positiv påverkan på konsumenters köpintention. Detta undersöks genom att studera hur variablerna viralitet, medvetenhet, expertis och trovärdighet påverkar konsumenters köpintention. Studiens resultat tyder på att viralitet, expertis och trovärdighet har en positiv påverkan på köpintention medan medvetenhet inte kan påvisa någon påverkan.

With many legacy news media brands struggling to maintain relevance and financial support, they are looking to social networks to connect with new audiences. The video sharing platform TikTok has experienced rapid growth in recent years and has a strong user base of Gen Z users which are a demographic which legacy news media are increasingly attempting to engage with. A number of legacy news media brands have established a presence on TikTok and begun experimenting with different formats. While there have been a few more general analyses of informational content on TikTok, no research to date has focused specifically on how different text elements are used for conveying news. This thesis addresses this gap through investigating how legacy news media (newspapers and TV) are using text, closed captions, and captions on TikTok. Moreover, styles of communication and TikTok editorial tools used by legacy news media are examined in detail. These elements are explored using a quantitative content analysis which analyses 200 videos from eight popular legacy news media brands from the USA, Britain, and Australia. Social media logic and functions specific to TikTok are used as a framework to analyze the problem, with the results showing that most of the legacy news media accounts have somewhat adopted social media logic in their use of text elements on TikTok.

Due to increased data caps, revolutions in mobile camera technology and a hyperconnected generation, video-centric social media services are rapidly becoming one of the most popular ways of consuming digital media. These services allow users to view, share and produce short-form media content at any time. The content viewed is provided algorithmically and will adapt based on the user's interactions. The platform will therefore entertain regular users more effectively, further increasing the likelihood of continuous use. This study aims to understand young adults' use, non-use, and attitude towards video-centric social media applications. Further questions regarding risks of addiction as well as possibilities for content creators are also explored. Analyzing the results using the Uses & Gratifications theory, video-centric social media services met "play/fun", "responsiveness", "ownness", "community building", "purpose" and "coolness" gratifications. Furthermore, the study found differences in usage patterns depending on the user's age. Comparably, non-users expressed fear of addiction and low-quality content as the main deterrents for usage.

This degree project is particularly interested in how people with mental health difficulties use the social media platform TikTok to share their experiences. It aims to contribute to meaningful conversations about the role of social media concerning mental health awareness and the effectiveness of social media for social change. A qualitative content analysis methodology is applied to 50 TikTok videos shared under the TikTok hashtag #mentalhealthuk to determine how people share their experiences. In addition, four semistructured interviews were conducted with video creators sharing content on #mentalhealthuk. The theoretical lens through which this study looks is Media for Development (M4D) and the importance of Voice for development. In addition, there is a special focus on storytelling and performativity in the digital realm. The findings from this study reveal that TikTok has been an effective site for the recovery process of people dealing with metal health difficulties, because it provided a source of connectedness and room for creative expression. However, the findings also reveal the restraints TikTok users face when using social media to share genuine experiences, and the negative effects, for example cyber bullying, had on their mental health.

El presente trabajo analiza los videos espontáneos de los adprosumers de la marca Takis en TikTok como posibles agentes de influencia en el panorama actual. Se decidió estudiar a la marca Takis por el impacto que tuvo en los usuarios de dicha red social en el año 2020-2021. Estos, en gran parte, se convirtieron en adprosumers de Takis, generando una gran cantidad de publicidad gratuita y espontánea. De ahí que se proponga en este estudio de paradigma fenomenológico y enfoque cualitativo, el análisis y contraste de opiniones y percepciones de consumidores que fueron testigos del fenómeno sucedido en dicha aplicación. Para ello, se entrevistó a diecisiete usuarios activos de TikTok, que a su vez, son consumidores de Takis. Entre los hallazgos principales se encontró un proceso en el modo de actuar de estos videos, este proceso sucita la auto-proyección del consumidor en el adprosumer, lo que posteriormente puede despertar la curiosidad por la marca. Finalmente, el estudio concluye que la espontaneidad, en los videos de los adprosumers, es un elemento que aporta emociones y percepciones positivas hacia la marca. Ya que estos videos actúan como un agente de influencia con el cual los usuarios de TikTok se identifican y empatizan por tratarse de personas sin auspicios, ni publicidad pagada. / The present study analyzes spontaneous videos published by adprosumers for the brand Takis on TikTok as potential agents of influence in the present context. The brand Takis was chosen for the impact that it has had on users of the chosen social network from 2020-2021. These users, to a large extent, have become adprosumers of Takis, creating a considerable amount of unpaid, spontaneous advertising for the brand. Therefore, this research, which is based on the phenomenological paradigm and employs a qualitative approach, conducts a contrast analysis of the opinions and perceptions of users witness to the studied phenomenon on said application. To carry out this analysis, 17 respondents who were both TikTok users and consumers of Takis were interviewed. One of the key findings obtained in this study is that there exists a specific behavior process in these videos; this process encourages consumers’ self-projection in the adprosumer, which may arouse curiosity surrounding the brand. Furthermore, this study finds that, in the videos created by adprosumers, spontaneity is an element that creates positive emotions towards and perceptions of the brand. These videos act as an agent of influence with which TikTok users identify and empathize as they are created by individuals that are neither sponsored nor paid for publicity. / Tesis