TikTok: The Mechanism Behind Influence Without Personal Ties

Facebook was created on February 4, 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg when he was a student at Harvard University. The initial idea of Facebook was to create an exclusive online club where Harvard students could connect and interact. This exclusivity and the sense of being part of a special community contributed to its early appeal and rapid growth within the university and eventually beyond.

Social Identity Theory is a psychological framework developed by Henri Tajfel and John Turner in the 1970s. It explains how individuals derive a part of their identity from the social groups they belong to and how this affects their behavior and attitudes towards both their own group and others.

Individuals join social identity groups to fulfill various psychological and social needs, such as a sense of belonging, safety, and self-esteem. A sense of belonging and self-esteem plays a crucial role in the functioning of all social media projects, especially in TikTok.

People choose social identity groups that align with their pre-existing beliefs and values to avoid cognitive dissonance (discomfort). This helps them maintain a stable and consistent self-concept. From an evolutionary standpoint, cognitive dissonance developed as a survival tool to help early humans assess risks in their environment. People's mental models are formed by their beliefs, values, personal experiences, education, cultural and social influences, and media exposure. These mental models, in turn, shape how individuals perceive reality, make decisions, and solve problems.

A mental model is a very interesting phenomenon because it influences how people 'decode' the world and everything around them. There is a very interesting book for kids that explains its effect precisely. "Fish is Fish" by Leo Lionni describes the story of a fish and his friend, a tadpole. The tadpole transforms into a frog and leaves the water to explore the world. The frog returns with stories of the outside world, describing birds, cows, and people. The fish, however, imagines all these creatures in the form of fish, reflecting his mental model. When the fish finally leaps out of the water to see the world himself, he realizes he can't survive on land and must return to the water.

Facebook continues to be a dominant force in the social media landscape, with its user base still growing. As of the end of 2023, Facebook had over 3.07 billion monthly active users. However, Facebook has seen a significant decline in its teen user base, with a notable decrease from 71% of teens using it between 2014 and 2015 to just 32% in 2022. TikTok is projected to reach 1.8 billion monthly active users by the end of the year, up from 1.5 billion in 2023.

What is the Phenomenon of TikTok?

The largest number of TikTok users are Generation Z, which includes individuals born from the mid-to-late 1990s through the early 2010s. This generation is the first to be fully immersed in mobile technology from a young age. They prefer quick, digestible content that can be consumed in short bursts. Short-form content is ideal for mobile consumption, fitting well into their on-the-go lifestyle. A study by Microsoft found that the average attention span has dropped to 8 seconds, partly due to the digital lifestyle, highlighting the need for more concise and engaging content formats to capture their interest.

The social graph is a model that represents relationships and interactions among users within a social network, mapping connections based on friendships, follows, likes, and other interactions. This model prioritizes content from people you know or are connected with—platforms like Facebook and Instagram use this method. The content graph is a model that represents relationships and interactions based on user engagement with content rather than social connections. It focuses on the type of content users interact with, such as likes, comments, or shares, to determine what to show them next—TikTok uses this principle to connect users with relevant content.

Graph Theory was invented by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in 1736. It is a way of understanding how different things are connected using graphs, which have nodes (points) and edges (lines connecting the points). It helps find the shortest path between points, identify clusters of connected points, and ensure efficient network designs. For example, in social networks, graph theory can calculate how people are connected to each other and help find influential people within the network. It is also used in optimizing routes for delivery services or managing internet data traffic efficiently. TikTok enables users to gain influential power by not depending solely on direct social connections. Instead, it connects users with similar interests, showing their content to like-minded individuals—mental models. If the content resonates, these individuals become new connections (edges).

Facebook and Instagram primarily connect users based on existing social networks, which can limit the rapid expansion of influence unless content goes viral within those networks. By these principles, TikTok allows people to more efficiently grow self-esteem and form social identity groups by uniting people with similar mental models. As people gain influence, the application itself becomes more in demand, growing its user base. TikTok is poised to become a more powerful tool not only for Gen Z but also for users of other ages due to its powerful algorithm. Additionally, this success highlights the potential for other social networks to grow by leveraging the power of the content graph.

TikTok's rapid rise in popularity can be attributed to several factors, with a primary driver being the human desire to belong to a social identity group. This fundamental need has fueled the growth of various social media platforms over the years. At its inception, Facebook appealed to users by offering an exclusive community for Harvard students, creating a sense of belonging to a privileged group that was previously accessible to only a select few. Similarly, Instagram began as a network for creators and photographers, attracting users with its emphasis on visual content and artistic expression.

TikTok, originally known as Musical.ly, started as a platform where users could create and share short lip-sync videos to popular music. This format was particularly appealing to teenagers and pre-teens. After being acquired by ByteDance and rebranded as TikTok, the platform expanded its content to include various types of short-form videos, ranging from comedy and dance to educational content.

While these technologies initially provided users with a sense of self-esteem and belonging, their continued success depends on offering substantial benefits and usability. TikTok's popularity stems from its ability to fulfill the fundamental human desire for social identity and self-esteem while also offering advanced technology that enhances user experience and engagement. Its powerful algorithm, diverse content, user-friendly tools, and vibrant community contribute to its widespread appeal, making it a dominant force in the social media landscape.

Self-esteem and belonging remain major drivers of new product usage. However, what is crucial in TikTok's success is not only its ability to enhance self-esteem and provide a sense of belonging but also its power to give users influence that is not dependent on personal relationships. #tiktok #BDIF #FutureLaboratoryVentures Future Laboratory