Psychology of TikTok

Source: Solen Feyissa/Unsplash

Last week, I covered the fundamentals of TikTok and how it is transforming how we learn. This week, we conclude with Part 2, where I go further into how this platform changes the way we interact.

Seeking Exposure Means You Are Exposed

Great content creators create videos that help entertain, educate, motivate, and much more. When one of their videos go viral, their chances of being seen significantly increase, leading to brand collaborations, product line launches, or boosting sales.

On TikTok, having a video go viral can happen a lot quicker than any other social media platform. It is why Instagram launched Reels, YouTube launched Shorts, and Snapchat recently launched Spotlight. They all want in on creators creating this short-form content. The goal for each platform is to keep you on their app as long as possible.

One of the quickest ways to keep you on an app is by hosting a live stream. To host a live stream on TikTok, you need 1,000 followers. On all the other platforms getting 1,000 followers is hard, but on TikTok, it's not as hard as one thinks.

Grow Parties

There are live streamers who host "Grow" parties. A Grow party is a livestream where people are encouraged to follow each other. You may see GFG in the live stream, which means Grow for Grow or Follow for Follow. It's a community designed to help each other grow their followers and make new friends.

The hosts never ask for gifts in exchange for being called out on their live stream. Sometimes the host will make a video thanking their top gifters once the live stream is over. One thing to note, people can send hosts images of Gifts, Confetti, Flowers, Birthday Cakes, Disco Balls, to name a few. These images show up on the screen for everyone to see. Each image has a monetary value assigned to it, and to buy them, you need coins, which can cost as little as 99 cents up to $99.

One note of caution to parents is to make sure your credit card or any other ways to purchase these coins be restricted for minors. Children may not fully appreciate the monetary value when giving away Disco Balls, Birthday Cakes, etc. This was a recent case with a girl in British Columbia where $12K was spent on coins as reported by Kendra Mangione of CTV News; fortunately, the parents were able to get their money back from TikTok.¹

TikTok Lives

Once you have your 1,000 followers, you can start livestreaming. I did one a couple of weeks ago on Job Search Tips, which was a humbling experience.

Whenever I presented in-person or live-streamed on YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook, I can use my computer to pull up a PowerPoint or an overlay to help support an idea or topic I am discussing. With TikTok Live (and I suppose the same goes for Instagram Live), you can only use your phone to livestream, limiting one's ability to add any visuals.

When I did my TikTok Live, I made a quick video that morning to announce it. I was super excited to share tips and answer any questions people had regarding their job search. I budgeted 20 to 30 minutes for my first TikTok Live. When I went "Live" I was expecting a lot of people to join, but that wasn't the case. There were a few that joined here and there but weren't engaging. Perhaps the topic or I wasn't entertaining enough?

There were two TikTokers that were kind and kept me company. One asked a question, but I couldn't technically answer because the person was a minor. On a side note, there is a misperception that only Gen Z is on this platform. I found that there are a lot of Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials using it.

A fellow TikToker @JohnyBlueEyes encouraged me to continue to do Lives. He mentioned that it takes some time to build a community around one's expertise. Johny has been at it for over a year and is a TikTok Coach, with ~285K followers, creating content designed to help new users navigate TikTok. He hosts his TikTok Lives Monday through Friday at 4:30 PM ET.

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There are many other types of Lives on this platform, like Sleep Lives, where people can join in while the host is sleeping, or Lives where the host is eating their food. I am not sure why these Lives are popular, but I think it may feed into some voyeuristic fetish.

Bullying

Like with many other social media platforms, TikTok is not absolved of trolls. The one difference is that the platform makes trolling easier. There are many profiles with no real face picture, real name, or videos. Since videos are shorter than 60 seconds, it's a lot easier for a troll to see 60 to 120 videos, if not more, within an hour and make hurtful comments.

I noticed a pattern of creators calling some of these folks out and, in some instances, visibly upset because of a comment made. To prove and validate the legitimacy of the creator's credentials to this unknown person, some creators would pull up a copy of their diploma, a copy of their financial holdings, or anything else.

If one is a small business owner or someone with an economic gain tied to their brand, these negative comments can affect one's economic model; therefore, it is understandable to want to stick up for oneself. On the flip side, if these comments hold no weight, then the content creator can report and block the user and delete their comment.

Inconsistent Application of Terms of Use

I noticed that some content creators get temporarily banned because of an anonymous tip that there is a violation of terms yet there wasn't anything evident that was shared with that creator; whereas, there are other content creators who clearly violate the terms and nothing is done. For example, a content creator whose whole page is wearing very tight revealing shorts and nothing else so that the viewers see the outline of their privates. I am left scratching my head as to how these terms are being applied consistently regardless of the number of followers or verification.

To TikTok's credit though, I have also noticed a recent crackdown on content creators who post videos where they are doing pelvic thrusts to a song so that viewers can get a glimpse of their privates. These content creators are definitely pushing and testing the boundaries in the hopes of getting more followers and in some instances, subscribers for their OnlyFans.com page.

Regardless, with a lot of minors on the platform, I hope the algorithm is not pushing this type of content to them because it will further contribute to body dysmorphia and other illnesses.

Addiction

Whilst smartphone addiction isn't new, I am experiencing a certain level of dependency on TikTok, unlike any other platform. I dare say that we may be entering into a new realm of app addiction. In fact, there are many content creators who have posted that they are addicted to TikTok.

From a content creator's perspective, there is a release of dopamine when they notice that one of their videos gets hundreds or thousands of views; as a result, they are subconsciously motivated to continue to develop more content in search of that reward. What they find is that their videos may not always get the same level of hits and blame it on the algorithm.

From a user's perspective, there is an endless amount of less-than-60-second videos that they can watch for hours. Although TikTok does have a Digital Wellbeing option where you can set a 60-minute app screen limit, I doubt many are using it. I am finding that this particular application can be easily addictive.

Brightside

When I first mentioned to my friends that I joined TikTok, I received the same reaction when I joined Twitter 10 years ago, and that was "WHY?" followed by eye-rolls and head shaking.

Being a Latinx entrepreneur and someone who loves to teach, I have expanded my marketing strategy beyond Facebook and Twitter into Instagram, YouTube, and now TikTok. I am learning a lot and happy to share what I know with others looking to explore these platforms to expand their brand from a psychological perspective.

What I've found on TikTok has been a great community of supportive and creative individuals willing to help. From Giselle Ugarte (@giselle.ugarte) who is a marketing expert and was kind to share some make-up tips for YouTube to Megan Gersch (@megangersch) who helped provide some helpful website tips to Johnathan Betournay (@johnyblueyes) who is going to join one of my upcoming YouTube interviews to share how people can start on TikTok.

If you are on TikTok, I invite you to share your experience in the comments section below and share this article with others. If you like this type of content or have any questions, feel free to follow me and message me @ProfessorTirado on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.