Social media platforms have transformed the ways in which people communicate, connect, and consume material. With smartphones, this has grown to encompass prospects from everyday life all over the world. Of these, one of the fastest-growing platforms is Douyin, as known as TikTok, especially for the young audience. The combination of algorithmic personalization and short-form video contents of Douyin makes it indisputably a compelling tool for both entertainment and social interaction. However, the influence of social media platforms like Douyin on psychological well-being (PWB) has become a critical area of concern, increasingly capturing the attention of researchers and professionals in the field of PWB. This becomes particularly relevant in light of the fact that various motivations for usage on the platform may have positive and negative influences on PWB. The theoretical framework of this paper is rooted in the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) to assess how Douyin use affects PWB. The specific psychological well-being differences that arise from diverse motives for usage form the basis of this research study. For this study, Douyin usage motives are the independent variable, while PWB is the dependent variable. It will also provide additional information about how different motives for using Douyin influence the PWB of user.
Abbas, J., Aman, J., Nurunnabi, M., & Bano, S. (2019). The impact of social media on learning behavior for sustainable education: Evidence of students from selected universities in Pakistan. Sustainability, 11(6), 1683.
Alhabash, S., & Ma, M. (2017). A tale of four platforms: Motivations and uses of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat among college students? Social media+ society, 3(1), 2056305117691544.
Astatke, M., Weng, C., & Chen, H. (2024). Does Facebook use influence users’ psychological well-being (PWB)? A literature review on trends and psychological well-being effects of Facebook use. Universal Access in the Information Society, 23(1), 141-153.
Bae, M. (2018). Understanding the effect of the discrepancy between sought and obtained gratification on social networking site users' satisfaction and continuance intention. Computers in human behavior, 79, 137-153. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2017.10.026
Blumler, J. G., & Katz, E. (1974). The Uses of Mass Communications: Current Perspectives on Gratifications Research. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.
Bossen, C. B., & Kottasz, R. (2020). Uses and gratifications sought by pre-adolescent and adolescent TikTok consumers. Young consumers, 21(4), 463-478.
Camilleri, M. A., & Falzon, L. (2021). Understanding motivations to use online streaming services: integrating the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the uses and gratifications theory (UGT). Spanish Journal of Marketing - ESIC, 25(2), 217-238. doi:10.1108/SJME-04-2020-0074
Chen, H. T., & Li, X. (2017). The contribution of mobile social media to social capital and psychological well-being: Examining the role of communicative use, friending and self-disclosure. Computers in human behavior, 75, 958-965.
Chen, Y. (2020). An investigation of the influencing factors of Chinese WeChat users’ environmental information-sharing behavior based on an integrated model of UGT, NAM, and TPB. Sustainability, 12(7), 2710.
Chen, Y., & Gao, Q. (2023). Effects of social media self-efficacy on informational use, loneliness, and self-esteem of older adults. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 39(5), 1121-1133.
Chiu, C. M., Cheng, H. L., Huang, H. Y., & Chen, C. F. (2013). Exploring individuals’ subjective well-being and loyalty towards social network sites from the perspective of network externalities: The Facebook case. International Journal of Information Management, 33(3), 539-552.
Deters, F. G., & Mehl, M. R. (2013). Does posting Facebook status updates increase or decrease loneliness? An online social networking experiment. Social psychological and personality science, 4(5), 579-586.
Diener, E. (2009). New measures of well-being. Assessing well-being/Springer Netherlands.
Dolan, R., Conduit, J., Fahy, J., & Goodman, S. (2016). Social media engagement behaviour: a uses and gratifications perspective. Journal of strategic marketing, 24(3-4), 261-277.
Falgoust, G., Winterlind, E., Moon, P., Parker, A., Zinzow, H., & Madathil, K. C. (2022). Applying the uses and gratifications theory to identify motivational factors behind young adult's participation in viral social media challenges on TikTok. Human Factors in Healthcare, 2, 100014.
Gabbiadini, A., Baldissarri, C., Durante, F., Valtorta, R. R., De Rosa, M., & Gallucci, M. (2020). Together apart: the mitigating role of digital communication technologies on negative affect during the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 554678.
Gao, X. (2023). The Impact Of Douyin (Chinese TikTok) On The Socialization Of Chinese Youth. SHS Web Conf., 155, 01013. doi:10.1051/shsconf/202315501013
Gerson, J., Plagnol, A. C., & Corr, P. J. (2016). Subjective well-being and social media use: Do personality traits moderate the impact of social comparison on Facebook? Computers in human behavior, 63, 813-822. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.06.023
Gu, L., Gao, X., & Li, Y. (2022). What drives me to use TikTok: A latent profile analysis of users’ motives. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.992824
Haslam, D. M., Tee, A., & Baker, S. (2017). The use of social media as a mechanism of social support in parents. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26, 2026-2037.
Hennig?Thurau, T., & Klee, A. (1997). The impact of customer satisfaction and relationship quality on customer retention: A critical reassessment and model development. Psychology & marketing, 14(8), 737-764.
Hernández-Torrano, D., Ibrayeva, L., Sparks, J., Lim, N., Clementi, A., Almukhambetova, A., . . . Muratkyzy, A. (2020). Mental health and well-being of university students: A bibliometric mapping of the literature. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1226.
Hu, X., Kim, A., Siwek, N., & Wilder, D. (2017). The Facebook paradox: Effects of Facebooking on individuals’ social relationships and psychological well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 87.
Huang, H. (2014). Self-presentation tactics in social media. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research. Paris, France: Atlantis Press. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.2991/icss-14.2014.76
Hylkilä, K., Männikkö, N., Peltonen, A., Castrén, S., Mustonen, T., Konttila, J., . . . Kääriäinen, M. (2024). Association between problematic social networking site use and social well-being among young adults: A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 16. doi:10.1016/j.jadr.2024.100775
Iqbal, M. (2024, July 8). TikTok revenue and usage statistics (2024). Retrieved from https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/
Jiao, Y., Jo, M. S., & Sarigöllü, E. (2017). Social value and content value in social media: Two paths to psychological well-being. Journal of organizational computing and electronic commerce, 27(1), 3-24.
Jin, C. H. (2014). The role of users’ motivations in generating social capital building and subjective well-being: The case of social network games. Computers in Human Behavior, 39, 29-38.
Kim, J. Y., Chung, N., & Ahn, K. M. (2014). Why people use social networking services in Korea:The mediating role of self-disclosure on subjective well-being. Information Development, 30(3), 276-287. doi:10.1177/0266666913489894
Kim, M. S., Wang, S., & Kim, S. (2023). Effects of online fan community interactions on well-being and sense of virtual community. Behavioral sciences, 13(11), 897.
Ko, H., Cho, C.-H., & Roberts, M. S. (2005). Internet uses and gratifications: A structural equation model of interactive advertising. Journal of advertising, 34(2), 57-70.
Kross, E., Verduyn, P., Demiralp, E., Park, J., Lee, D. S., Lin, N., . . . Ybarra, O. (2013). Facebook use predicts declines in subjective well-being in young adults. PloS one, 8(8), e69841. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069841
Kross, E., Verduyn, P., Sheppes, G., Costello, C. K., Jonides, J., & Ybarra, O. (2021). Social media and well-being: Pitfalls, progress, and next steps. Trends in cognitive sciences, 25(1), 55-66.
Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2011). Online social networking and addiction—a review of the psychological literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 8(9), 3528-3552.
Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2017). Social networking sites and addiction: Ten lessons learned. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(3), 311.
Lee, A. R., & Horsley, J. S. (2017). The role of social media on positive youth development: An analysis of 4-H Facebook page and 4-H'ers' positive development. Children and Youth Services Review, 77, 127-138.
Li, J., Zhan, D., Zhou, Y., & Gao, X. (2021). Loneliness and problematic mobile phone use among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: The roles of escape motivation and self-control. Addictive behaviors, 118, 106857.
Lian, T. (2022). Relationship Between Tiktok Usage And Youth Well-Being Involving Personality Characteristics. (Doctoral dissertation). Universiti Putra Malaysia,
Liu, H., Lee, K. T., & Bai, S. (2023). Exploring motivations for TikTok usage and impact factors of TikTokers’ continuance intention. Ingénierie des Systèmes d'Information, 28(2), 389.
Lou, L. L., Yan, Z., Nickerson, A., & McMorris, R. (2012). An examination of the reciprocal relationship of loneliness and Facebook use among first-year college students. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 46(1), 105-117.
Matsa, K. E. (2023, November 15). More Americans are getting news on TikTok, bucking the trend seen on most other social media sites. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/15/more-americans-are-getting-news-on-tiktok-bucking-the-trend-seen-on-most-other-social-media-sites/
Menon, D. (2022). Updating ‘Stories’ on social media and its relationships to contextual age and narcissism: A tale of three platforms–WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook. Heliyon, 8(5).
Mutabazi, P. (2023, September 9). The Evolution of Social Media: How Did It Begin, and Where Could It Go Next? Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/evolution-social-media-how-did-begin-where-could-go-next-mutabazi
Niu, S., Shrestha, D., Ghimire, A., & Lu, Z. (2023). A Survey on Watching Social Issue Videos among YouTube and TikTok Users. arXiv preprint arXiv:2310.19193.
Ofcom. (2022). News Consumption in the UK: 2022. Retrieved from https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/tv-radio-and-on-demand-research/tv-research/news/news-consumption-2022/news-consumption-in-the-uk-2022-report.pdf?v=328267
Oksa, R., Saari, T., Kaakinen, M., & Oksanen, A. (2021). The Motivations for and Well-Being Implications of Social Media Use at Work among Millennials and Members of Former Generations. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(2), 803. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/2/803
Phua, J., Jin, S. V., & Kim, J. J. (2017). Uses and gratifications of social networking sites for bridging and bonding social capital: A comparison of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Preece, J. (2004). Online Communities: Researching sociability and usability in hard to reach populations. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.3127/ajis.v11i2.132
Przybylski, A. K., & Weinstein, N. (2017). A large-scale test of the goldilocks hypothesis: quantifying the relations between digital-screen use and the mental well-being of adolescents. Psychological science, 28(2), 204-215.
Radovic, A., Gmelin, T., Stein, B. D., & Miller, E. (2017). Depressed adolescents' positive and negative use of social media. Journal of adolescence, 55, 5-15.
Rae, J. R., & Lonborg, S. D. (2015). Do motivations for using Facebook moderate the association between Facebook use and psychological well-being? Frontiers in Psychology, 6. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00771
Ramsden, E., & Talbot, C. V. (2024). The Role of TikTok in Students’ Health and Wellbeing. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. doi:10.1007/s11469-023-01224-6
Reichelt, A. (2019, January 1). Social media and mental health: Uses and gratifications of social networking in relation to depression, anxiety and offline relationships among young adults. Retrieved from University of Twente Student Theses website: https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/78367
Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of personality and social psychology, 57(6), 1069.
Sampat, B., & Raj, S. (2022). Fake or real news? Understanding the gratifications and personality traits of individuals sharing fake news on social media platforms. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 74(5), 840-876.
Scherr, S., & Wang, K. (2021). Explaining the success of social media with gratification niches: Motivations behind daytime, nighttime, and active use of TikTok in China. Computers in human behavior, 124, 106893.
Schivinski, B., Brzozowska-Wo?, M., Stansbury, E., Satel, J., Montag, C., & Pontes, H. M. (2020). Exploring the Role of Social Media Use Motives, Psychological Well-Being, Self-Esteem, and Affect in Problematic Social Media Use. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.617140
Shanmugasundaram, M., & Tamilarasu, A. (2023). The impact of digital technology, social media, and artificial intelligence on cognitive functions: a review. Frontiers in Cognition, 2. doi:10.3389/fcogn.2023.1203077
Shao, J., & Lee, S. (2020). The effect of chinese adolescents' motivation to use Tiktok on satisfaction and continuous use intention. The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology, 6(2), 107-115.
Sharabati, A.-A. A., Al-Haddad, S., Al-Khasawneh, M., Nababteh, N., Mohammad, M., & Abu Ghoush, Q. (2022). The impact of TikTok user satisfaction on continuous intention to use the application. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 8(3), 125.
Sharma, A., Singh, T. P., Sharma, R., Dhakar, J. S., & Bharti, A. (2022). Psychological well-being among college students: A study from Central India. Asian Journal of Medical Sciences, 13(1), 46-51.
Sichach, M. (2024). Uses and Gratifications theory - Background, History and Limitations. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.4729248
Stafford, T. F., Stafford, M. R., & Schkade, L. L. (2004). Determining Uses and Gratifications for the Internet. Decision sciences, 35(2), 259-288. doi:10.1111/j.00117315.2004.02524.x
Tang, L., Omar, S. Z., Bolong, J., Wirza, J., & Zawawi, M. (2022). Well-being in using TikTok amongst young people in China. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(6), 518-532.
Uslu, O. (2022). Motives behind Social Media Use: A Theoretical Assessment. Bilgi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 24(2), 443-456.
Vaingankar, J. A., Van Dam, R. M., Samari, E., Chang, S., Seow, E., Chua, Y. C., . . . Subramaniam, M. (2022). Social media–driven routes to positive mental health among youth: Qualitative enquiry and concept mapping study. JMIR pediatrics and parenting, 5(1), e32758.
Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2009). Social consequences of the Internet for adolescents: A decade of research. Current directions in psychological science, 18(1), 1-5.
Wang, T. (David), & Deng, X. (2023, January 3). Social media use purposes and psychological wellbeing in times of crises. Retrieved from ScholarSpace website: https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/f202287a-7e91-41d6-898e-8649e7b3bf9c/full
Whiting, A., & Williams, D. (2013). Why people use social media: a uses and gratifications approach. Qualitative market research: an international journal, 16(4), 362-369.
Wu, Y., Wang, X., Hong, S., Hong, M., Pei, M., & Su, Y. (2021). The relationship between social short-form videos and youth’s well-being: It depends on usage types and content categories. Psychology of Popular Media, 10(4), 467.
Yang, Y., & Ha, L. (2021). Why people use TikTok (Douyin) and how their purchase intentions are affected by social media influencers in China: A uses and gratifications and parasocial relationship perspective. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 21(3), 297-305.
Yao, Q., Ma, H., Yan, H., & Chen, Q. (2014). Analysis of social network users’ online behavior from the perspective of psychology. Advances in Psychological Science, 22(10), 1647.
Zhang, C. a., Tang, L., & Liu, Z. (2023). How social media usage affects psychological and subjective well-being: testing a moderated mediation model. BMC psychology, 11(1), 286.
Zheng, C. (2023). Research on the flow experience and social influences of users of short online videos. A case study of DouYin. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 3312.
Zolkepli, I. A., Kamarulzaman, Y., & Kitchen, P. J. (2018). Uncovering psychological gratifications affecting social media utilization: A multiblock hierarchical analysis. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 26(4), 412-430.
Liu, X., Abas, W. A. W., & Mokhtar, W. I. W. (2024). The Influence of Social Media Usage Motivations on Psychological Well-Being. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(11), 2011–2024.
Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode