Self-perception evolution among university student TikTok users: evidence from China

Jinsheng Jason Zhu; Yan Ma; Guoen Xia; Sabariah Mohamed Salle; Hongye Huang; Shahrul Nazmi Sannusi

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1217014

Self-perception evolution among university student TikTok users: evidence from China

Front Psychol. 2024 Feb 19:14:1217014. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1217014. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Jinsheng Jason Zhu^{1

2}, Yan Ma^{1

3}, Guoen Xia^{3

4}, Sabariah Mohamed Salle¹, Hongye Huang⁵, Shahrul Nazmi Sannusi¹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Centre for Research in Media and Communication, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia.
² Belt and Road International School, Guilin Tourism University, Guilin, China.
³ School of Journalism and Communication, Guangxi University of Finance and Economics, Nanning, China.
⁴ School of Business Administration, Guangxi University of Finance and Economics, Nanning, China.
⁵ School of Journalism and Communication, Nanning Normal University, Nanning, China.

Abstract

The effects of short movies on social media platforms are gaining worldwide popularity and are now attracting global academic attention. Employing self-perception theory and qualitative research methodology, the study examines the influence of short video applications (TikTok) on app-user engagement and evaluates the self-perceived cognitive psychological understanding of Chinese university students. The findings show that identity, attitude change, emotional perception, and civic engagement are the most influential aspects of Chinese youths' self-perceptions. Furthermore, the positive and negative correlated components influence the distribution of short video values. Such tactical use of personality construction contributes to the present psychological research of Chinese university students.

Keywords: TikTok (Douyin in China); self-perception; short video; university students; value formation.

Grants and funding

This article was funded as part of the academic achievements of Research Project of the Ministry of Education of China in Humanities and Social Sciences: A Study on the Use of Social Media and the Connotation of Chinese Ethnic Community Consciousness among Ethnic Minorities in the Southwest Border Areas (22YJC860023); New Liberal Arts Research and Reform Project of Ministry of Education of China: Exploration and Practice of ASEAN International Management Applied Talents Cultivation under the Background of New Liberal Arts (No. 2021110077), Guangxi Higher Education Undergraduate Teaching Reform Project (No. 2021JGZ153), and National Social Science Fund (23BXW107). This article was also funded as part of the academic achievements of First-class universities and disciplines in tourism management discipline (project) in Guangxi, China.