Abstract
Short-form video SNS such as TikTok has gained popularity worldwide. However, there remains a limited understanding of why individuals watch and submit short videos on these platforms, as well as how the motives for short-form video SNS use relate to their well-being. To catch up with the development of SNS context, TikTok (Douyin), one of the most popular short-form videos SNS in China, was taken as an example to explore users’ motivation and well-being. Integrating the uses and gratifications theory with the in-depth interview (N = 238), the initial TikTok Use Motive Scale (including the TikTok Watching Motive Sub-Scale, and TikTok Shooting and Submitting Motive Sub-Scale) was developed firstly, and secondly exploratory factor analysis for watching (N = 2,263), and shooting and submitting (N = 3,217) short-form videos, and finally confirmatory factory analysis (N = 2,092). Six motives for watching (seeking novelty, habit, relationship maintenance, releasing pressure, killing time, and escapism) and three motives for shooting and submitting (pursuing fame, recording and sharing, and satisfying curiosity) short-form videos were identified. Moreover, the relationship between the TikTok use motives and well-being was explored, and the implications of the findings were discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
References
Alhabash, S., & Ma, M. (2017). A tale of four platforms: Motivations and uses of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat among college students? Social Media + Society, 3(1), 205630511769154. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305117691544.
Asia, N. (2021). TikTok overtakes Facebook as world’s most downloaded app. https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/TikTok-overtakes-Facebook-as-world-s-most-downloaded-app.
Beard, K. W., & Wolf, E. M. (2001). Modification in the proposed diagnostic criteria for internet addiction. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 4(3), 377–383. https://doi.org/10.1089/109493101300210286.
Bradburn, N. M. (1969). Affect balance scale. Aldine.
Bucknell Bossen, C., & Kottasz, R. (2020). Uses and gratifications sought by pre-adolescent and adolescent TikTok consumers. Young Consumers, 21(4), 463–478. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-07-2020-1186.
Busch, P. A., & McCarthy, S. (2021). Antecedents and consequences of problematic smartphone use: A systematic literature review of an emerging research area. Computers in Human Behavior, 114, 106414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106414.
Courbet, D., Fourquet-Courbet, M. P., Basile-Commaille, É., Bernard, P., Pascual-Espuny, C., Kouadio, P., & Klein, T. (2023). Media as a source of coping and social, psychological and hedonic well-being: A longitudinal qualitative study during the COVID-19 pandemic. Media Psychology, 26(3), 306–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2022.2142244.
Dalkin, S., Forster, N., Hodgson, P., Lhussier, M., & Carr, S. M. (2021). Using computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS; NVivo) to assist in the complex process of realist theory generation, refinement and testing. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 24(1), 123–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2020.1803528.
Deters, F., & Mehl, M. R. (2013). Does posting Facebook status updates increase or decrease loneliness? An online social networking experiment. Social Psychological & Personality Science, 4(5), 579–586. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550612469233.
Diener, E. D., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13.
Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276–302. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.125.2.276.
Ding, Q., Zhang, Y. X., Wei, H., Huang, F., & Zhou, Z. K. (2017). Passive social network site use and subjective well-being among Chinese university students: A moderated mediation model of envy and gender. Personality and Individual Differences, 113, 142–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.03.027.
Dong, Z., & Xie, T. (2023). How to know who you are through your short video selfies?-Capturing personality via short video selfies. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1072344. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1072344.
Dong, Z., Cao, Y., Hou, Y., & Wu, Z. (2023). Relational mobility and problematic internet use: A person-environment interactionist perspective. Social Media + Society, 9(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231155113.
Donnellan, M. B., Oswald, F. L., Baird, B. M., & Lucas, R. E. (2006). The mini-IPIP scales: Tiny-yet-effective measures of the big five factors of personality. Psychological Assessment, 18(2), 192–203. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.18.2.192.
Du, X., Liechty, T., Santos, C. A., & Park, J. (2022). I want to record and share my wonderful journey’: Chinese millennials’ production and sharing of short-form travel videos on TikTok or Douyin. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(21), 3412–3424. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2020.1810212.
Emons, W. H. M., Sijtsma, K., & Meijer, R. R. (2007). On the consistency of individual classification using short scales. Psychological Methods, 12(1), 105–120. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.12.1.105.
Falgoust, G., Winterlind, E., Moon, P., Parker, A., Zinzow, H., & Madathil, K. C. (2022). Applying the uses and gratifications theory to identify motivational factors behind young adult’s participation in viral social media challenges on TikTok. Human Factors in Healthcare, 2, 100014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hfh.2022.100014.
Gabbiadini, A., Baldissarri, C., Valtorta, R. R., Durante, F., & Mari, S. (2021). Loneliness, escapism, and identification with media characters: An exploration of the psychological factors underlying binge-watching tendency. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 785970. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.785970.
Hayes, B., James, A., Barn, R., & Watling, D. (2022). Children’s risk and benefit behaviours on social networking sites. Computers in Human Behavior, 130, 107147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.107147.
Hou, Y., Xiong, D., Jiang, T., Song, L., & Wang, Q. (2019). Social media addiction: Its impact, mediation, and intervention. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.5817/cp2019-1-4.
Jeong, S. H., Kim, H., Yum, J. Y., & Hwang, Y. (2016). What type of content are smartphone users addicted to? SNS vs. games. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 10–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.035.
Jung, E. H., & Sundar, S. S. (2022). Older adults’ activities on Facebook: Can affordances predict intrinsic motivation and well-being? Health Communication, 37(5), 597–607. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1859722.
Kabilan, M. K., Ahmad, N., & Abidin, M. J. Z. (2010). Facebook: An online environment for learning of English in institutions of higher education? The Internet and Higher Education, 13(4), 179–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.07.003.
Katz, E., Gurevitc.M, & Haas, H. (1973). On the use of the mass media for important things. American Sociological Review, 38(2), 164–181. https://doi.org/10.2307/2094393.
Krause, H. V., große Deters, F., Baumann, A., & Krasnova, H. (2023). Active social media use and its impact on well-being—an experimental study on the effects of posting pictures on Instagram. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 28(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmac037.
Lee, G., Lee, J., & Kwon, S. (2011). Use of social-networking sites and subjective well-being: A study in South Korea. Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking, 14(3), 151–155. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2009.0382.
Lee, E., Lee, J. A., Moon, J. H., & Sung, Y. (2015). Pictures speak louder than words: Motivations for using Instagram. Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking, 18(9), 552–556. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2015.0157.
Lin, S., Liu, D., Liu, W., Hui, Q., Cortina, K. S., & You, X. (2021). Mediating effects of self-concept clarity on the relationship between passive social network sites use and subjective well-being. Current Psychology, 40(3), 1348–1355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-0066-6.
Montag, C., Yang, H., & Elhai, J. D. (2021). On the psychology of TikTok use: A first glimpse from empirical findings. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 641673. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.641673.
Nguyen, S. H., Sun, Q., & Williams, D. (2022). How do we make the virtual world a better place? Social discrimination in online gaming, sense of community, and well-being. Telematics and Informatics, 66, 101747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2021.101747.
Omar, B., & Dequan, W. (2020). Watch, share or create: The influence of personality traits and user motivation on TikTok mobile video usage. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies, 14(4), 121–137. https://doi.org/10.3991/IJIM.V14I04.12429.
Perse, E. M., & Courtright, J. A. (1993). Normative images of communication media mass and interpersonal channels in the new media environment: Mass and interpersonal channels in the new media environment. Human Communication Research, 19(4), 485–503. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.1993.tb00310.x.
Raacke, J., & Bonds-Raacke, J. (2008). MySpace and Facebook: Applying the uses and gratifications theory to exploring friend-networking sites. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 11(2), 169–174. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2007.0056.
Ross, C., Orr, E. S., Sisic, M., Arseneault, J. M., Simmering, M. G., & Orr, R. R. (2009). Personality and motivations associated with Facebook use. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(2), 578–586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2008.12.024.
Russell, D., Peplau, L. A., & Cutrona, C. E. (1980). The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale: Concurrent and discriminant validity evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(3), 472–480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.39.3.472.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. The American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68.
Sabatini, F., & Sarracino, F. (2017). Online networks and subjective well-being. Kyklos (Basel), 70(3), 456–480. https://doi.org/10.1111/kykl.12145.
Scherr, S., & Wang, K. (2021). Explaining the success of social media with gratification niches: Motivations behind daytime, nighttime, and active use of TikTok in China. Computers in Human Behavior, 124, 106893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106893.
Shao, J., & Lee, S. (2020). The effect of Chinese adolescents’ motivation to use Tiktok on satisfaction and continuous use intention. The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology, 6(2), 107–115. https://doi.org/10.17703/JCCT.2020.6.2.107.
Shaw, A. M., Timpano, K. R., Tran, T. B., & Joormann, J. (2015). Correlates of Facebook usage patterns: The relationship between passive Facebook use, social anxiety symptoms, and brooding. Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 575–580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.02.003.
Sheldon, K. M., & Titova, L. (2023). Social media use and well-being: Testing an integrated self-determination theory model. Media Psychology, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2023.2185259.
Smock, A. D., Ellison, N. B., Lampe, C., & Wohn, D. Y. (2011). Facebook as a toolkit: A uses and gratification approach to unbundling feature use. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(6), 2322–2329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.07.011.
Statista (2021). Number of daily active Facebook users worldwide as of 2nd quarter 2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/346167/facebook-global-dau/.
Sun, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2021). A review of theories and models applied in studies of social media addiction and implications for future research. Addictive Behaviors, 114, 106699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106699.
Sundar, S. S., & Limperos, A. M. (2013). Uses and grats 2.0: New gratifications for new media. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 57(4), 504–525.
Takahashi, M., Fujimoto, M., & Yamasaki, N. (2003). The active lurker: Influence of an in-house online community on its outside environment.
Tartaglia, S., & Bergagna, E. (2022). Social networking sites passive use and its effects on sad-happy mood. Psihologija, 55(2), 137–147. https://doi.org/10.2298/PSI201002008T.
Thorisdottir, I. E., Sigurvinsdottir, R., Asgeirsdottir, B. B., Allegrante, J. P., & Sigfusdottir, I. D. (2019). Active and passive social media use and symptoms of anxiety and depressed mood among Icelandic adolescents. Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking, 22(8), 535–542. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.0079.
Tskhay, K. O., Zhu, R., Zou, C., & Rule, N. O. (2018). Charisma in Everyday Life: Conceptualization and validation of the General Charisma Inventory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 114(1), 131–152. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000159.
Valkenburg, P. M. (2022). Social media use and well-being: What we know and what we need to know. Current Opinion in Psychology, 45, 101294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.12.006.
Valkenburg, P. M., Beyens, I., Pouwels, J. L., van el, I. I., & Keijsers, L. (2021). Social media browsing and adolescent well-being: Challenging the passive social media use hypothesis. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmab015.
Verduyn, P., Lee, D. S., Park, J., Shablack, H., Orvell, A., Bayer, J., Ybarra, O., Jonides, J., & Kross, E. (2015). Passive Facebook usage undermines affective well-being: Experimental and longitudinal evidence. Journal of Experimental Psychology General, 144(2), 480–488. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000057.
Verduyn, P., Gugushvili, N., & Kross, E. (2021). Do social networking sites influence well-being? The extended active-passive model. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 31(1), 62–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214211053637.
Vogel, E. A., & Rose, J. P. (2016). Self-reflection and interpersonal connection: Making the most of self-presentation on social media. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 2(3), 294–302. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000076.
Wang, Y. (2020). Humor and camera view on mobile short-form video apps influence user experience and technology-adoption intent, an example of TikTok (DouYin). Computers in Human Behavior, 110, 106373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106373.
Yang, C. C. (2016). Instagram use, loneliness, and social comparison orientation: Interact and browse on social media, but don’t compare. Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking, 19(12), 703–708. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2016.0201.
Zsila, Á., McCutcheon, L. E., & Demetrovics, Z. (2018). The association of celebrity worship with problematic internet use, maladaptive daydreaming, and desire for fame. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 7(3), 654–664. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.7.2018.76.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Dong Liu, a professor at School of Journalism and Communication, Renmin University of China for providing comments on the early edition of the manuscript.
Funding
The current study was funded by the MOE (Ministry of Education of China) Social Science Research Institute Grants (Project No. 22JJD860013).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Zhiwen Dong: Methodology, Writing-Original draft, Formal analysis, Writing - Review & Editing. Tian Xie: Conceptualization, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing-Original draft, Writing - Review & Editing.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Ethical Committee of Philosophy School of the authors’ university. All participants provided fully informed consent to take part.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Dong, Z., Xie, T. Why do people love short-form videos? The motivations for using Chinese TikTok (Douyin) and implications for well-being. Curr Psychol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05927-4
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05927-4