Motives for Using Tik Tok in Uses and Gratification Theory Perspective

Abstract

Although Tik Tok gets negative sentiments, it is even the most popular application downloaded by the public. Tik Tok is considered to have a significant role in marketing, branding, and personal branding. Furthermore, Tik Tok can reduce stress during a pandemic significantly. This study aims to analyze the existence of Tik Tok, which initially received negative opinions, but in 2019 the popularity of Tik Tok beat Facebook and Instagram successfully. In addition, this study also aims to determine the community motives for using the Tik Tok application. This study uses a descriptive quantitative approach by taking a sample of 100 Tik Tok application users in Semarang City, Central Java. The data analysis employs the uses and gratification theory and the motives for utilizing media by Katz, Gurevitch, and Haas theory. The study results show that the community’s dominant motive for using the Tik Tok application is integration, social interaction, and entertainment.

Keywords

• motives
• tik tok
• social media
• uses and gratification theory