- Content: 
Most People Use TikTok for This One Reason
By Movieguide® Contributor
Why do you go on social media? Is it solely for entertainment, or maybe to connect with friends and family? A new study from Pew Research has uncovered one major motivation behind people’s social media use, specifically TikTok, and it’s not what you’d expect.
The study found that the large majority of TikTok users are there for “product reviews and recommendations.” In fact, 62% of adult claim that this is their reason for opening the app.
However, this is not the primary use for other apps. “By comparison, fewer users of Instagram (44%), Facebook (37%) or X (29%) say they use each platform for product recommendations,” Pew Research reported.
Many brands collaborate with TikTok influencers to promote their products, which may have to do with why people gravitate toward it for recommendations. Pew shared that “U.S. TikTok users ages 18 to 29 (74%) say this is a reason they use it. This share drops to 62% among users ages 30 to 49 and 46% among those 50 and older.”
The study also found that 68% of women use TikTok for reviews, whereas 52% of men do. Meanwhile, 83% of women ages 18-29 use it for this reason.
READ MORE: HOW TIKTOK DRIVES GEN Z WOMEN INTO DEBT
“This phenomenon, called a parasocial relationship, leads audience members to believe they have a close association or even a friendship with a personality, when the relationship is actually one-sided – often, the content creator may not know the viewer even exists,” the BBC said.
“Parasocial relationships are so strong that people are moved to buy,” said Angeline Scheinbaum, associate professor of marketing at Clemson University.
TikTok seems to be on board with the app being used in this way. Last year, the company added a feature that allowed sponsored content to appear in a user’s search results.
“We’re excited to announce the launch of the Search Ads Toggle, a new feature on TikTok Ads Manager that allows brands to serve ads in TikTok search results,” the app announced in a statement. “The Search Ads Toggle leverages advertisers’ existing In-Feed Ad creative to serve ads alongside organic search results from relevant user queries.”
- Content: +1Share:
- Content: +1