“‘It’s Addictive’ but ‘It Gets Me’: An Examination of U.S. and U.K. Adults’ Uses and Gratifications or Not of TikTok”

Badurak, M., Mushtarin, N., Ramirez, F., Booth, H., Hewitt, C., Barclay, A., Jensen, G, and Lance Porter, (August, 2024) “‘It’s Addictive’ but ‘It Gets Me’: An Examination of U.S. and U.K. Adults’ Uses and Gratifications or Not of TikTok” Paper presented to Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Philadelphia, PA, 2024

Abstract: Using survey data from a representative sample of 593 adults from across the U.S. and the U.K. this project examines users’ motivations for embracing or rejecting TikTok as a social media platform. We situate our work within scholarship on uses and gratifications, data privacy, and platform rejection (Katz, Blumler, & Gurevitch, 1974; Marwick, 2023; Slot & Opree, 2021). Drawing on the principles of critical thematic analysis, we conducted an interpretive content analysis of open-ended survey responses in which participants described their justifications for either using or rejecting TikTok. Our analysis revealed three distinct categories of TikTok users: Avid user (n=305), non-user (n=238), or conflicted user (n=50). Avid users justify their use of the platform based on four core gratifications: 1) cognitive needs (news consumption, search engine function, informational content, surveillance capabilities), 2) entertainment (pleasure and relaxation, boredom remedy, algorithm appreciation), 3) content creation (personal and business), and 4) socializing. We find that non-users are focused on three concerns: 1) security (data privacy, national security, and misinformation), 2) risk of addiction and other dangers (addictive algorithm and inappropriate content), and 3) lack of interest. Conflicted users simultaneously perceived gratifications from the platform while also being concerned about security risks, oftentimes because of the platform's links to China. We argue that the divergent user groups we identified point to a troubling tension around TikTok’s public perception, which is reflective of broader social and political divisions in society.