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.

Adolescence is a time period when major developments occur with respect to adolescents’ physical, emotional and cognitive capabilities, and such developments ultimately make it a pivotal time for a person’s identity formation and understanding of interpersonal relationships. In today’s world, social media is extremely popular, especially among adolescents, and it has influenced their behaviors, perceptions and interactions with others. With TikTok, a social media platform, gaining popularity in recent years and overwhelmingly so among adolescents, researchers began researching the general impact of TikTok on adolescents’ mental health. Some researchers have begun exploring niche research topics related to the impact of TikTok on adolescents’ mental health, including body dissatisfaction. One subtopic that remained largely unexplored is TikTok’s impact on adolescents’ perceptions of love and romantic relationships irrespective of the fact that adolescence is a pivotal developmental time for individuals. Thus, this study examines TikTok’s influences on adolescents’ perceptions of love and romantic relationships. It also sought to understand the prevalent themes regarding TikTok’s impact on male adolescents’ and female adolescents’ perceptions of love and romantic relationships. The researcher designed this study as an exploratory grounded theory research. The researcher recruited 30 participants from the study site between the ages of 13 years old and 17 years old. Out of the 30 participants, 19 participants were female (63%) and 11 participants were male (37%). The participants completed surveys with open-ended questions on TikTok content related to love and romantic relationships. Using the Ünlü-Qureshi instrument to analyze the data, the researcher found that TikTok has an impact on adolescents’ romantic relationships and self-image in relationships. Through a review all codes, concepts and categories and corresponding data, the researcher also found that adolescents were aware of how TikTok’s portrayals of love and romantic relationships do not reflect reality and how behaviors or ideas learned from TikTok were unfair, and certain perceptions of TikTok content on love and romantic relationships differed between male and female adolescents. These findings may serve as a basis for further research on TikTok’s impact on adolescents’ perceptions of love and romantic relationships and relationship satisfaction. These findings may also help mental health practitioners determine how to properly assess, consider, and address such influences through psychological services for adolescents and other individuals with adolescents in their lives (e.g., individuals working with adolescents and parents) better support the adolescents in their lives.

Under de senaste åren har TikTok revolutionerat sociala medieplattformar och kommit att bli ett marknadsföringsverktyg för up-n-coming artister. Med syftet att öka kunskapen om hur artister påverkas av och förhåller sig till en ny era av musikmarknadsföring och om de är villiga att kompromissa sin konstnärliga integritet för framgång, undersöker studien hur up-n-coming artister navigerar och anpassar sig efter TikToks ramverk för att nå ut med sin musik. Studiens forskningsfrågor tar avstamp i artisternas upplevelser och strategier på TikTok, samt vilka värden och ideal de förhandlar genom sin närvaro på plattformen och hur artisterna påverkas av dem. Det empiriska materialet inhämtades genom åtta djupgående intervjuer med up-n-coming artister. Det analyserades utifrån tematisk analys som vägleddes av det teoretiska ramverket med avstamp i kritisk teori, emotional capitalism och affordance. Resultatet visar att en opolerad estetik och innehåll som både resonerar med målgruppen och fångar deras uppmärksamhet tidigt är avgörande faktorer som strategierna utgår från. De värden och ideal som artisterna förhandlar är komplexa och formas av publikens förväntningar, både vad gäller plattformens klimat, relationen mellan publik och artist och innehållsmässiga ramar. Påverkan på artisterna är mångfacetterad och utmynnar i varierande förhållningssätt som formar deras engagemang, kreativitet och konstnärskap. Avslutningsvis diskuteras studiens implikationer inom fältet och förslag på vidare forskning.

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The advent of the digital era has profoundly transformed marketing and variousorganizational functions, largely driven by the accessibility to vast repositories ofdigitized data and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). The purpose of this studyis to examine the impact of artificial intelligence-driven personalization on customerexperience within the context of TikTok, a leading social media platform known for itsinnovative use of AI technology. TikTok leverages AI to analyze user behaviors andpreferences, delivering tailored content that enhances user engagement and satisfaction.The deductive approach is the selected approach to fulfill this study is objective.Particularly, the research hypothesis (H1) posits that AI-driven personalization positivelyinfluences customer experience on TikTok. To test this hypothesis, we conducted aquantitative study involving structured questionnaires distributed to a diverse sample ofTikTok users via social media platforms, resulting in 365 usable answers. The findingsconfirm a significant positive relationship between AI-driven personalization andcustomer experience, underscoring the critical role of AI in shaping user interactions andexperiences on social media platforms - TikTok. This study contributes to the literatureon digital marketing and customer experience management by highlighting theeffectiveness of AI-driven personalization in fostering engagement and satisfaction.

The aim of this study is to critically analyze how the news media in Sweden reported about Folk och Försvar’s conference 2024 on TikTok. Considering the platform’s young audience, this will make it apparent how journalism for children can be constructed. Critical discourse theory, system functional grammar and sociosemiotics are used as a theoretical framework. The method used is Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis and the material is collected from six national news channels that published about the event on TikTok. By analyzing the language and visual elements used, the result of the thesis shows which discourses were conveyed in the reporting. The main findings were five different discourses that were compiled into two more general discourses. One of them strengthens the threat of a military war in Sweden, while the other one defuses and problematizes the statement from the Swedish armed forces. The first one was more common in the commercially financed news media, whereas the second was found in public service media. The conclusion furthermore indicates that public service adjusts their journalism more to align with the young audience on TikTok. The critical discourse analysis showed that depending on which discourse was used, different messages were communicated to the audience. This contributes to a power imbalance between the journalists and the children, especially considering young children have not fully developed critical thinking. The news media that claim to be aimed towards Sweden's entire population, does not however consistently take children into account.

This qualitative study explores how viral skincare content on TikTok shapes consumption among female Generation Z. In-depth interviews were conducted with females aged 18-24 to understand their engagement with skincare trends on TikTok. The study highlights TikTok’s role as a search engine for Generation Z females seeking product recommendations, particularly in skincare. It examines how TikTok influences buying behavior and purchasing decisions through algorithms, which curate personalized content that directs users towards specific categories. Influencer promotions and user-generated content on the For You page (FYP) significantly shape viewers' preferences and skincare routines. The respondents indicated a tendency to adopt and trust trends seen on TikTok, leading to increased consumption and higher demand for viral products. However, there was also concern about the platform’s addictive nature and the difficulty in distinguishing genuine recommendations from paid promotions. This research concludes that TikTok’s algorithms, together with user-generated content, have a powerful impact on Generation Z females. These insights can be strategically used by marketers to target Generation Z, emphasizing the need for authentic and genuine content to gain consumer trust. Overall, this study highlights TikTok's significant role in contemporary consumerism and contributes to understanding digital consumption patterns among Generation Z females.

Sammanfattning Titel: Hur influencer marknadsföring på TikTok påverkar gymnasieelevers köpbeteende - En kvalitativ studie Nivå: Examensarbete på grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Johanna Nylander Backolars och Mimmi Östergren Handledare: Alice Schmuck Datum: 2024 - Maj Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur gymnasieelevers köpbeteende påverkas av influencer marknadsföring på TikTok. Metod: I denna studie har en kvalitativ forskningsmetod använts, där det genomförts semistrukturerade intervjuer med 16 respondenter. Respondenterna är användare av TikTok och inom åldersspannet för studiens avgränsning. För att tolka den insamlade datan har en tematisk analys genomförts. Resultat och slutsats: Studiens resultat visar att gymnasieelevers köpbeteende påverkas av influencer marknadsföring på TikTok. Rekommendationer från andra konsumenter, även kallat elektronisk word-of-mouth, har visat sig ha en väsentlig inverkan på köpbeteendet. Dessutom påverkas gymnasieelevers köpbeteende undermedvetet av olika trender i sin omgivning. Trovärdighet, expertis och upplevd likhet hos influencers identifieras som viktiga faktorer i en influencers förmåga att övertyga konsumenter till att genomföra ett köp. Resultatet visar även att större influencers, makro- och meso- influencers, är mer trovärdiga informationskällor samt att de har en större övertalningsförmåga. Examensarbetets bidrag: Denna studie bidrar till en djupare förståelse för hur unga konsumenter i Generation Z på TikTok upplever influencer marknadsföring och hur det påverkar deras köpbeslut, samt hur trovärdigheten kan skilja sig mellan olika stora influencers. Förslag till vidare forskning: För att få en djupare förståelse för hur influencer marknadsföring påverkar unga konsumenter skulle ett förslag till framtida forskning vara att undersöka personer som är ännu yngre, då TikTok-användare utgörs av mycket barn och ungdomar. Det skulle även vara intressant att studera trovärdighet utifrån ett genusperspektiv, eller om influencer marknadsföringens påverkan skiljer sig mellan olika plattformar. Nyckelord: Influencer marketing, TikTok, Purchase behavior, E-word of mouth, Generation Z / Abstract Title: How influencer marketing on TikTok affects high school students' purchase behavior - A qualitative study Level: Bachelor’s degree thesis in business administration Author: Johanna Nylander Backolars and Mimmi Östergren Supervisor: Alice Schmuck Date: 2024 - May Aim: The purpose of the study is to investigate how high school students' purchasing behavior is affected by influencer marketing on TikTok. Method: In this study, a qualitative research approach was used, where semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 respondents. The respondents are users of TikTok and within the age range for the study's delineation. In order to interpret the collected data, a thematic analysis has been carried out. Results and conclusions: The study's results show that high school students' purchasing behavior is influenced by influencer marketing on TikTok. Recommendations from other consumers, also called electronic word-of-mouth, have been shown to have a significant impact on purchasing behavior. In addition, high school students' purchasing behavior is subconsciously influenced by various trends in their environment. Credibility, expertise and perceived similarity of influencers are identified as important factors in an influencer's ability to convince consumers to make a purchase. The result also shows that larger influencers, macro- and meso-influencers, are more credible sources of information and that they have a greater power of persuasion. Contribution of the thesis: This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how young consumers in Generation Z on TikTok experience influencer marketing and how it affects purchase decisions, as well as how the credibility can differ between different major influencers. Suggestions for further research: In order to gain a deeper understanding of how influencer marketing affects young consumers, a suggestion for future research would therefore be to examine people who are even younger, as TikTok users are made up of a lot of children and young people. It would also be interesting to study credibility from a gender perspective, or whether the impact of influencer marketing differs between different platforms. Keywords: Influencer marketing, TikTok, Purchase behavior, E-word of mouth, Generation Z

This study focuses on online news coverage of TikTok's privacy policies to uncover accusations related to security threats between October 2020 and May 2023. Using critical discourse analysis, the research compares TikTok's discourse with other platforms like Facebook and YouTube, highlighting the role of governments, tech companies, and users in shaping this discourse. Furthermore, it demonstrates how cultural and political factors influence privacy discussions, particularly regarding the controversies, discussions, and accusations between the United States and China. AI tool ChatGPT analyzes the discourse by focusing on the news texts' most prominent topics and keywords. The goal is to identify key themes for each highlighted keyword to answer the following questions: (1) How does TikTok's privacy policy construct notions of privacy and security? (2) How do shareholders discuss potential risks in TikTok’s privacy policies? (3) What are the risks of privacy violations and TikTok's global implications? This research asserts that when analyzed alongside the privacy policy discourses of other major social media platforms, TikTok's privacy policies reveal significant implications for cybersecurity, particularly in the context of informed consent. The findings highlight the interplay of cultural, political, and economic factors, emphasizing the urgent need for continuous monitoring and accountability in digital privacy-seeking risk assessment and minimizing.

Using Mehrabian and Russell's stimulus (S) - organism (O) - response (R) model, this study examined consumer motivations to consume user-generated content (UGC) and sponsored video content on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also investigated the impact of information consumption on purchasing behavior as the main constructs. The study used the consumption patterns of active and passive social media users to further understand the level of short-form video consumption related to purchasing behavior. Grounded upon the SOR theory, this study measured utilitarian and hedonic motivations as stimuli with user-generated content and sponsored content as organism and purchasing behavior as response. A quantitative snowball survey (n = 289) was used to collect data from TikTok users to examine the relationships between motivations, types of content, and purchasing behavior. Statistical analyses including descriptive statistics, reliability tests, factor analysis, and multiple regression analyses was used to profile the sample and to test hypothesized relationships. All hypotheses were supported and found to have significant relationships between the independent and dependent variables. This study is useful to those in the fields of information sharing, crisis management, consumer behavior, and retail to develop communication strategies and understand and adapt to consumption habits and changing purchasing behaviors.