By skyforbes 
The most recent social media juggernaut that has become intertwined in society has an estimated over 1 billion users and is a platform that has constant media attention and social impact. So much so, your grandparents may know of it. Even if they repeatedly misspell and mispronounce it, which garners a small but nevertheless real reminder of how one day you may also not know or understand the newest fad.
Yet is it a fad? Social media giants such as Facebook, YouTube or Instagram have become household names amid initial skepticism and being denounced by critics as simply a trend. TikTok very much appears like it may have already, or will be soon, joining this dominant and almost dystopian group of media platforms.
Each of these has its own distinctive or signature feature — TikTok’s is that of short-form content. Typically between 15 seconds and a minute, TikTok utilises a ‘scroll’ feature for you to move video to video in the easiest manner possible. This is not to say it does not share common design traits of other platforms, with ‘like’, ‘comment’ and ‘search’ features easily accessible. However, it is the almost mindless nature of scrolling TikToks on a personalised ‘For You Page’ that has captured many in a chokehold.
It is important to add, negative side-effects due to frequent use of social media is not a problem that originated with TikTok. Much credible research has been done that highlights the worsening impact of social media platforms on our mental health, increasing likelihood for stress or even depression.
What is worth focusing on, is the effect TikTok and social media has had on our attention spans — as well as the wider impact of this. There was a statistic a few years ago that was highlighted by many news outlets, claiming adult attention spans have now dropped to as little as 8 seconds, which is less than the average goldfish. This fact, thankfully, was debunked and the source of this information found to be non-credible; At least this saved some of humanity’s dignity in the animal kingdom at least.
Yet, unfortunately, research seems to point towards the fact our attention spans as a whole are diminishing — just not to the level of a goldfish. Anecdotally, I am sure you have noticed yourself seemingly unable to concentrate on one thing. Unstimulated with just watching TV, you scroll your phone as you do so. This is until for a second you click out of this almost hyper modern fever dream, realising that there was no point in having the TV on if you were simply not going to watch it. So, whether just out of the need to reassure yourself that your brain still has the ability to not act as if an unfocused teenager, you reluctantly put your phone down and return to watching the TV show you have just missed a crucial plot point in.
You are definitely not alone in this either. Research that was published in the International Journal of Science and Research found a correlation between frequent consumption of short-form video content and decreased attention span, particularly among students, with a resulting impact on academic performance (Asif & Kazi, 2023).
It seems apparent that both empirically and subjectively, our attention span seems to be dwindling.
So…
What Impact Does This Have For Business?
As with any new social media platform, brands and celebrities have flocked to TikTok. Either as simply a marketing tool, a personal outlet or a combination of both — it is difficult to find someone or something with no presence on the app.
Yet to succeed, they need to play by TikTok’s rulebook. Content that hooks almost instantly, a casual or more personal appeal and a necessity to be ‘Of-the-moment’. Brands try to create more identity, and attempt to break from the corporate background.
They adopt and create TikToks using trending songs and video ideas, following along and being inspired by an ever-changing user base — rather than sticking to successful formulas that have worked before in traditional media.
There is varying success in this attempted adaption to catch our, as previously mentioned, wavering attention spans. One brand that has succeeded almost more than any other in this modern media landscape is that of Duolingo. The language learning company has focused most of its advertising around the familiar bird mascot doing an almighty range of topical trends, almost entirely unrelatedto the focus of the brand itself. Yet it built brand recognition, as well as a positive and jovial brand perception that holds a lot of weight in consumer decision making.
What should also be considered is that alongside brands bringing their presence to TikTok, it has also become a great place to launch and attempt to make a name for new brands. The ability to capture millions of views, likes or shares appears more often on TikTok due to viral videos often featuring lower production than what would be necessary to garner the same level of attention on different platforms. This is in addition to a massive and active user base, that spans the whole globe, can lead to popularity gain from even the most unexpected demographics.
TikTok seems to be, whether you like it or not, becoming another mainstay in the online world — definitely not a one-and-done fad. This signifies how it is essential for everyone to understand the opportunities this powerful platform provides but also to understand and appreciate the negatives that could come with it. They say ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ and it seems that TikTok is the newest tech giant that this phrase, scarily or perhaps excitingly, applies to.