In this research, we explored how different variables influence the user experience in the TikTok social media channel. The engagement of the users in giving meaningful feedback to the posts was the main variable being observed. This is important because in several business-to-business and business-to-consumer applications the companies are interested in using meaningful feedback from the users to improve their products, be it a tangible device or a media product. So, instead of focusing on getting more followers, in situations like that, it is more important the kind of feedback received from the users. In this research, a mixed methods approach was applied. Joining the quantitative results with the insights from the qualitative part of the research, it is possible to conclude that the algorithm used by TikTok to define the content in the timelines has a bigger influence on engagement than the kind of content. To achieve the desired result of an increase in the number and quality of feedback by the viewers, it was found that being more direct can produce interesting increases. The posts where the viewers were asked to comment and reply with a certain answer have the most comments. In some instances, the increase is almost 300% more when comparing it to the average amount of comments. Most interviewees also stated that they would love to help out and would provide meaningful feedback if this was directly asked. The same goes for Q&A’s and interaction-based posts.
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A long time ago, well before the COVID-19 pandemic, a sad, dark thing clawed its way into our social media feeds: depression memes. These memes, shared on social platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, 4chan, and TikTok, date back to as early as 2016, although it’s hard to tell precisely. What we do know is that people (meme makers) have been saying to their audience (users with or without clinical depression and/or anxiety symptoms) that it’s okay to feel horrible and that if our therapist asks ‘What do we do when we feel this way?’ we do not reply ‘Add to cart’. The online world has given us clearance to lift the taboo (slightly) on mental health issues while simultaneously educating some boomers along the way, resulting in many users using memes ever since as the life raft they can be.
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Websites placing cookies on your computer to track your browsing behavior. TikTok stores your personal data in China. Are you aware of what products, services, and organisations do with your personal data? It is often not obvious. Our digital lives are becoming more and more prominent. We are now meeting each other virtually for work and leisure, and are spotted and traced without our knowledge, both in physical places (public areas and streets) and in virtual spaces. Technology is developing rapidly and policy makers are not able to keep up, resulting in unknown threats for citizens in modern society. Moreover, technology can lead to inequality and exclusion, as demonstrated in the Dutch childcare benefits scandal. The aim of the Inholland Digital Rights Research Team, co-founded by Professors Wina Smeenk, Ander de Keijzer and Ben Wagner, is to focus their work on the social, economic, cultural, communication, design and technological elements that can lead to a digitally responsible society. This means that we want to be part of the debate and research on how technology in our digital age can contribute to the quality of peoples’ lives: how can people benefit from the digital society and how are they hindered, or even worse, excluded from partaking in our digital society. We do this in our research lines, as well as in the sustainable media lab courses and the data-driven minor.
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