Zicheng Cheng’s long interest in studying news on TikTok came from her own personal use of the platform.
“I use TikTok a lot, and I remember several years ago when I scrolled through my feed – I usually watch cute videos, animals and suddenly I ran into a news clip of political content,” Cheng said. “The news just found me on TikTok.”
For the past few years, Cheng has published multiple studies related to information on TikTok – both using interviews and computational studies using TikTok’s research database.
“I think there was value in how people are seeing TikTok news, what kind of content they like and would that make them feel more informed about public affairs,” she said.
A recent report from Pew Research Center found that news consumption on TikTok had steadily increased since 2020, becoming a major news source for many.
In one of Cheng’s recent studies, published in September, she interviewed 23 U.S. TikTok users who consume news on the platform, finding that while people primarily turn to TikTok for entertainment, they still value core journalistic principles such as credibility, accuracy, and clarity.
Those interviewed highlighted how the “snippet-style news format, combined with the scroll-and-swipe consumption mode, gives them a sense of agency and control over the news they encounter,” Cheng wrote in the study.
“I can be aware of what’s going on in the world without feeling like I’m inundated with it, because I can just scroll by, right?” said one of the participants.
While several interviewees said duets and stitched videos allow them to see original videos and get others’ opinions, allowing them to get different perspectives on an issue, they don’t like other visual effects or background music when it comes to news videos.
They described those to be “excessive”, “overdone”, “distracting”, “cluttered”, “childish”, or even “less reliable and trustworthy,” according to the study.
“Sometimes it feels inappropriate to be reacting to something,” one interviewee said. “Especially if it’s with the dance. If it’s really serious news, like, talking about war or like a plane crash, I wouldn’t want somebody editing and making jokes about it.”
Cheng noted in an interview how these findings emphasize that users seek a balance between information utility and entertainment.
The interviewees largely believed that traditional news sources were less biased than influencers, but the style of reporting and personal nature often made them look past the bias. And although traditional media organizations have been publishing more content on TikTok, one interviewee said “it’s very bland, very boring.”
“One key word they emphasized over and over again is ‘authenticity,’” said Cheng.
When it comes to credibility, the interviewees acknowledged influencers are not trained journalists and sometimes make misleading claims. That’s why they don’t tend to take the content at face value. Even if the creator includes a news screenshot or media labels, the participants said they usually fact check.
One participant said that “after viewing a TikTok news video, I research and scroll through Google to gather additional information.” Another noted, “I tend not to trust anything I see on TikTok until I search for it on my desktop computer, and I’ll look for the details of the news on credible news sites, or I’ll typically go to the Associated Press.”
However, participants perceived that watching TikTok news videos did not translate into in-depth learning because of the design and format of the platform’s videos.
“Quickness is both the strength and weakness in TikTok,” one participant said.
Another participant described TikTok as a platform primarily for relaxation, on-the-go learning, and decongesting “heavy” political and public discourses. Longer-form news stories, such as written articles, better explain complex news issues because people can process them at their own speed.
“TikTok is like a bridge,” one interviewee said. “It helps me get the important news in a condensed version, so I know what’s happening without having to spend 30 min waiting for the news channel and watching a million other things go wrong in the world.”
Findings on engagement – including commenting, sharing and liking – varied.
A group of the users interviewed actively commented on TikTok news, saying it provided them with more insight into the news and public opinion about the issue discussed, and also can help fact check.
One participant said, “I always comment, and sometimes before the video is even over. I just like seeing what people have to say … so the comment section gives me space to also pour out my own opinion. Sometimes, there are arguments going on in the comments, and it gives one a little more insight into what both sides are saying, or if a lot of people are supplementing the information in the video, and how accurate the information is.”
Other interviewees said they only comment or share a TikTok news video from certain accounts. One participant noted: “But, I’m more likely to engage if the news video is from an individual creator, as opposed to traditional news sources.”
In other cases, the participants said they acted as passive audiences. “I just watch and scroll,” one participant said. “I seldom share controversial and viral news with friends, and sometimes, I read comments to get other people’s point of view, depending on the story.”
Cheng noted that her study has some bias baked in. The participants opted into the study, which could mean they have more media literacy skills than other users. A national, representative survey would be a good follow-up study, she said.
The key takeaway, she said, is that the optimal TikTok news format should uphold quality journalism norms and values, while incorporating influencer style – meaning fact-based reporting, a personal tone and digestible delivery.