From Dance Trends to Breaking News: How TikTok became a News Platform.

TikTok is a social media platform that gained popularity for its shirt-form videos featuring people sharing dance challenges, comedy, music, and viral trends. Tiktok has quickly emerged as one of the most popular news sources among young adults. This social media platform has transformed how individuals learn about politics, current events, and social concerns without relying on television or newspapers. While short, appealing videos have made news more accessible, experts warn that disinformation is spreading just as swiftly, making media literacy more vital than ever.

From Entertainment To A News Platform

Unlike traditional news platforms, tiktok features a tailored ‘for you’ page that curates videos based on what a user views or interacts with, which eliminates the need to search for a story or subscribe to a certain news organization. Someone could open tiktok to view an amusing video, and then scroll a few times to get an update on elections, wildfires, true crime, and other topics. According to Pew Research Centre, 14% of adults in the United States got news from TikTok on a regular basis in 2023. This audience was primarily composed of young adults. 44% of adult TikTok users who regularly consumed news on the app were aged 18 to 29 (Shearer et al., 2024). As a result, news organizations have responded to the changes. Instead of relying just on television, newspapers, and websites, journalists can employ short videos to swiftly explain complex stories. At the same time, independent creators have grown significant audiences by presenting current events in a more casual and conversational tone, making it easier for young adults to process the material.

The Rise and Risk of TikTok News Creators.

One way tiktok differs from traditional news media is that information may not necessarily originate from a professional journalist. Some content makers with no experience in journalism have made news reporting their niche. Pew discovered that 84% of the TikTok news influencers it investigated had no background or affiliation with a news institution (Stocking et al., 2024). This leaves potential for disinformation to propagate so quickly. This is because a creator may express a personal view about a news event without explicitly identifying it as such. Another maker may simply post a video about a topic they are unfamiliar with in order to gain views or to promote their page so that they may begin to earn money.According to the Reuters Institute, 27% of TikTok users struggled to discriminate between trustworthy and untrustworthy content. (Newman, 2024). This demonstrates why people should be cautious when receiving information from social media influencers. 

Scroll, Watch, but Verify

Finally, TikTok’s evolution demonstrates how rapidly people’s news consumption habits are evolving. Short films may make important stories more accessible and allow new voices to join in topics formerly dominated by traditional media. However, getting educated should not end with a scroll. Before making a large assertion, viewers should investigate where the material comes from, compare it to credible news organizations, and decide whether the video contains facts, views, or amusement. TikTok may be the first place you look for information, but it should not be your only source.

References 

Newman, N. (2024, June 17). Overview and key findings of the 2024 Digital News Report. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford.

Shearer, E., Naseer, S., Liedke, J., & Matsa, K. E. (2024, June 12). How Americans get news on TikTok, X, Facebook and Instagram. Pew Research Center.

Stocking, G., Wang, L., Lipka, M., Matsa, K. E., Widjaya, R., Tomasik, E., & Liedke, J. (2024, November 18). News influencers on TikTok. Pew Research Center.