Ever since September 2016 when the social media app “TikTok” was launched in the app store, its popularity has increased exponentially. While the app offers many things from fun dancing trends to cool edits of your favorite celebrity, it also includes a journalism aspect. Users from all around the globe use the app as their daily news platform, with it being their primary source of finding out what is going on in the world. This fact comes with many benefits and drawbacks, which raises the question, “Has TikTok had a more positive or negative impact in the world of journalism?”
At first glance, it seems that TikTok would create many benefits from a journalistic standpoint. The app offers real-time updates, interactive content and an expanded reach for audience engagement. The short-form video format that it creates allows users to quickly both capture and share news. This information is often accessible before traditional media outlets, resulting in the first place that people hear about things going on from facts via TikTok. This can be helpful for people to gain information quickly and concisely in today’s busy environments. Also with how news can be shared, TikTok offers many easy ways to exchange thoughts with other users through concepts like comments, duets and more.
TikTok is not only a news source but also a social media platform, and it allows news to reach a different audience than most other sources can. It is very rare to find a teenager who watches the news, and similarly, it is very rare to find a teenager who doesn’t watch TikTok. TikTok offers a way to spread important information to a younger audience so they can stay aware of what is happening in the world.
After further investigation, many drawbacks to the use of TikTok in journalism can be found. Erosion of long-form journalism, unreliable sources and the spread of misinformation are all issues that cannot be ignored when people use social media apps for real-world news.
With TikTok consisting primarily of videos as short as under one minute, it results in a lot of news being oversimplified. Leaving out important details and skimming major concepts causes a lot of confusion and misinformation to be spread. The use of TikTok as a news source also undermines in-depth investigative journalism and takes away from the work that journalists create.
Another reason why false news gets spread is that there is no certification that TikTokers have to get before posting. Unlike professional journalists and news anchors, TikTok users have no education on where to properly obtain knowledge and often spread misinformation unknowingly because they use unreliable sources. Not using credible sources when sharing news ruins how much people can trust what they are being told.
TikTok has definitely changed the world of journalism by making news more accessible, interactive and engaging, especially for younger audiences. Its ability to provide real-time updates and firsthand perspectives has made it a powerful tool for spreading information quickly. However, the platform also comes with significant drawbacks that could become dangerous very quickly. While TikTok can be a valuable news source, it is crucial for users to approach the information they consume with caution to ensure accuracy. Ultimately, the impact of TikTok on journalism depends on how responsibly it is used. It really shows the need for media literacy in today’s fast-paced digital world, and how people need to be careful when trusting news that they hear, especially from social media apps.
