Media and Communica ion (ISSN: 2183–2439)
2022, Volume 10, Issue 1, Pages 146–156
h ps://doi.o g/10.17645/mac. 10i1.4699
A icle
Blu ing Bounda ies Be ween Jou nalis s and TikToke s: Jou nalis ic Role
Pe o mance on TikTok
Ma ía‐C uz Neg ei a‐Rey, Jo ge Vázquez‐He e o *, and Xosé López‐Ga cía
Depa men o Communica ion Sciences, Uni e sidade de San iago de Compos ela, Spain
* Co esponding au ho (jo ge. az[email p o ec ed])
Submi ed: 15 July 2021 | Accep ed: 10 Sep embe 2021 | Published: 24 Feb ua y 2022
Abs ac
In ecen yea s, media has adap ed o he logic o each new social ne wo k o espond o enewed consump ion habi s
and jou nalis s ha e de eloped new oles on hese pla o ms. TikTok is an eme ging pla o m wi h i s own in luence cul‐
u e and in which he main audiences a e he millennial and cen ennial gene a ions. The main objec i e o his s udy is o
analyze he p esence o jou nalis s on TikTok h ough he ype o con en and s a egies used in adap ing o his pla o m.
The esea ch is based on me hodological iangula ion. Fi s , a da abase o jou nalis s on TikTok (n1=212) was de el‐
oped and he p o iles we e e iewed. Second, a ques ionnai e su ey (n2=63) was de eloped. Finally, a con en analysis
(n3=520) o p o iles exceeding 100,000 ollowe s was conduc ed. This esea ch p o ides a i s desc ip ion o he ac i i y
o jou nalis s on TikTok, whe e a a ie y o oles, usages, and s a egies a e iden i ied, beyond hose o hei p o ession.
They join he o ‐ he‐momen pla o m wi h di e en pu poses ( o in o m, en e ain, o in oduce hemsel es) and a ge s
(new audiences, young people, ans). Jou nalis s adap hei p esence o he TikTok social media logic, seeking a space o
in luence on a pla o m ha is he na u al habi a o younge gene a ions.
Keywo ds
in luence ; jou nalism; jou nalis ; social media; TikTok
Issue
This a icle is pa o he issue “New Na a i es o New Consume s: In luence s and he Millennial and Cen ennial
Gene a ions” edi ed by Luis M. Rome o‐Rod íguez (Rey Juan Ca los Uni e si y), San iago Tejedo (Au onomous Uni e si y
o Ba celona), and Inmaculada Be langa (In e na ional Uni e si y o La Rioja).
© 2022 by he au ho (s); licensee Cogi a io (Lisbon, Po ugal). This a icle is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons A ibu‐
ion 4.0 In e na ional License (CC BY).
1. In oduc ion
Social ne wo ks ha e ans o med he communica ional
scena io, o cing he news media o adap o hei logic
( an Dijck & Poell, 2013) and e o mula ing he jou ‐
nalis ic model (Bell & Owen, 2017). The media indus‐
y has become dependen on pla o m companies o
he dis ibu ion o i s con en , edis ibu ing powe ,
and gi ing ise o he disloca ion o news (Eks öm &
Wes lund, 2019). Media companies and p o essionals
a e aced wi h he need o join he ends o eme g‐
ing pla o ms o adap o new con en consump ion
habi s. Thus, hey ha e adap ed o he epheme al o ‐
ma s o Ins ag am (Vázquez‐He e o e al., 2019), expe i‐
men ed wi h Snapcha o each new audiences wi h hei
news (Lee, 2019), de eloped s a egies in p i a e and
ins an messaging ne wo ks such as Wha sApp (Boczek &
Koppe s, 2020), and a e obse ing how pla o ms such as
Twi ch a e enewing he o ms o consump ion o s eam‐
ing con en (Bingham, 2020).
TikTok is one o hese new pla o ms, which has
bu s on o he in e na ional ma ke wi h i s own logic
and language. I is he se en h mos used social ne ‐
wo k in he wo ld (Hoo sui e, 2021), and i became he
i s non‐Facebook app o each 3 billion global down‐
loads (Chan, 2021). The in e es in TikTok also es s on
he young, belonging o he millennial and cen ennial
gene a ions, eaching 24% o hose unde 35 yea s old
(Newman e al., 2021).
The ise o TikTok has mo i a ed a line o esea ch
in which i s o ms o communica ion ha e been s ud‐
ied (Schellewald, 2021), as well as i s celeb i y cul u e
Media and Communica ion, 2022, Volume 10, Issue 1, Pages 146–156 146
(Abidin, 2021), poli ical communica ion and ac i ism
(Ce i & Ma ín‐Lladó, 2021; Se ano e al., 2020; Vijay
& Gekke , 2021), beha io s associa ed wi h hei con‐
sump ion (Ce i, 2021; Oma & Dequan, 2020), o how
hese a e a ec ed by he pa icula i ies o he unc ion‐
ing o he social ne wo k (Zulli & Zulli, 2020). A he
same ime, he i s s udies on news media’s adap a ion
o TikTok ha e been de eloped (Vázquez‐He e o e al.,
2020), issues such as misin o ma ion and he ole o
ac ‐checke s in he social ne wo k ha e been add essed
(Alonso‐López e al., 2021) and speci ic cases ha e been
s udied such as how he media ou le s ha e epo ed on
Co id‐19 on TikTok (Sido enko‐Bau is a e al., 2020).
The analysis o he jou nalis ’s ole pe o mance has
been add essed bo h in adi ional and digi al media and
social ne wo ks. Conside ing ha TikTok has a di e en i‐
a ed p oposal wi h espec o o he pla o ms, and gi en
i s wo ldwide popula i y, i is ime o add ess he pe ‐
spec i e o jou nalis s in his social ne wo k. The main
objec i e o he s udy is o iden i y he ype(s) o con en
hey p oduce and he s a egies ha jou nalis s imple‐
men in hei adap a ion o TikTok, a new scena io dom‐
ina ed by hei own in luence s in which hey mus igh
o he a en ion o young audiences and a ac hem o
hei b ands and con en .
2. Theo e ical F amewo k
2.1. Roles o Jou nalis s on Social Media
The use o social ne wo ks has become s anda dized
o media and jou nalis s, o cing hem o build new
ules and pa e ns o use adap ed o he logic o hese
pla o ms (Mellado & He mida, 2021). Social media has
changed he way news is p oduced and how con en is
dissemina ed as well as in e ac ions wi h he audience
(He mida, 2016; He mida e al., 2012; Newman, 2011;
Newman e al., 2013).
The app op ia ion o social ne wo ks by jou nalis s
is in luenced by pe sonal mo i a ions and skills, as well
as by p o essional and social ac o s (Dje ‐Pie e e al.,
2016). In a i s s age, skep ical shunne s esis ed hei
use, p agma ic con o mis s adap ed o hem o ake
ad an age o some o hei po en iali ies, and en husi‐
as ic ac i is s emb aced hem o use hem in ensi ely
o hei in o ma i e wo k, pe sonal posi ioning, and
in e ac ion wi h o he use s (Hedman & Dje ‐Pie e,
2013). These di e en le els o app op ia ion a e also
obse ed in mo e ecen s udies. Thus, Mellado and
Al a o (2020) dis inguish be ween jou nalis s who main‐
ain an adap ed app oach—p ese ing he adi ional
oles and alues o hei p o ession while inco po a ing
he pla o ms in o hei wo k, i.e., a skep ical app oach—
when hey end o ejec social ne wo ks as app op i‐
a e ools o hei p o essional wo k, o a ede ine
app oach—when hey end o inno a e and ede ine
hei p o essional iden i ies and oles h ough hei ac i ‐
i y in social ne wo ks.
The s udy o jou nalis ic oles has been app oached
om se e al pe spec i es, s udying hei a i udes o
wo king condi ions in di e en coun ies in he 21s cen‐
u y (Wea e & Willna , 2012), concep ualizing hei
oles based on no ma i e and p ac ical cons uc s o he
p o ession and he place i occupies in socie y (Hani zsch,
2011; Hani zsch & Vos, 2018), de ining jou nalis ic oles
associa ed wi h di e en pe cep ions and p ac ices wi h
audiences (Hol on e al., 2016), o s udying hei unc‐
ion om a poli ical pe spec i e and in ela ion o poli ‐
ical ac o s (Jamieson & Waldman, 2003). On he one
hand, in he con ex o social ne wo ks, Hanusch and
Tandoc (2019) poin ou ha he oles assumed by jou ‐
nalis s a e de e mined by ma ke condi ions, he p es‐
su e exe ed on hem, and he concep ion o he audi‐
ence. They dis inguish be ween he ci izen o ien a ion,
in which he desi e o public se ice p edomina es, and
he consume o ien a ion, which concei es use s as con‐
sume s. On he o he hand, Xia e al. (2020) ela e he
oles o jou nalis s on social media o hei concep ion
and in ol emen wi h audience engagemen , dis inguish‐
ing be ween hose who main ain a mo e dis an posi ion
om use s and hose who ac i ely engage in an exchange
ela ionship wi h i .
The capaci y o sel ‐iden i y and sel ‐exp ession
in social ne wo ks esul s, acco ding o Mellado and
He mida (2021), in “no el” oles o jou nalis s. The
au ho s di e en ia e be ween he p omo e ole (cha ‐
ac e ized by pe sonal and p o essional b anding, p omo‐
ion o con en , p oduc s, and se ices), he celeb i y ole
(when ame is sough h ough exposu e, associa ion, and
pe sonal b anding), and he joke ole (when he aim is o
be delibe a ely unny and humo is used o commen on
he wo k and i s ou ines, o o make jokes abou onesel ).
2.2. No ms, Pe sonal B anding, and he In luence o
Jou nalis s on Social Ne wo ks
Jou nalism bounda ies a e pe meable and lea e wiligh
zones in which jou nalis ic no ms a e challenged and he
alues associa ed wi h he p o ession a e enewed, as
a esul o he coexis ence o jou nalis s and pe iphe al
ac o s (Maa es & Hanusch, 2020). Jou nalis s adap o
social media while li ing wi h he adi ional alues and
no ms o jou nalism and he new codes o hese pla ‐
o ms (Mellado & He mida, 2021). Al hough he pe sonal
exposu e o jou nalis s in he ne wo ks and he in e ac‐
ion wi h use s imp o es he audience’s pe cep ion o
he jou nalis in he pe sonal dimension, i has a nega‐
i e impac on he pe cep ion o he p o essional dimen‐
sion and hei news p oduc s (Lee, 2015). Fo his ea‐
son, some media co po a ions es ablish guidelines o
he managemen o hei jou nalis s’ pe sonal p o iles,
in o de o p ese e he epu a ion and in e es s o he
company (Opgenha en & Schee linck, 2014; Sacco &
Bossio, 2017).
In ecen yea s, jou nalis s ha e be on hei pe ‐
sonal b ands o become news and opinion hubs and
Media and Communica ion, 2022, Volume 10, Issue 1, Pages 146–156 147
inc ease hei ma ke alue (B ems e al., 2017), aking
ad an age o he social media scena io o hei pe sonal
and p o essional pe o mance in on o hei audience.
This pe sonal b and is hyb id, since i b ings oge he
o ganiza ional, p o essional, and pe sonal iden i ies
(Hanusch & B uns, 2017; O o o demgen schen elde,
2017). In hei pe sonal b anding s a egies, jou nalis s
can de elop celeb i y iden i ies h ough ame by asso‐
cia ion, asymme ic communica ion, and li es eaming
(Olausson, 2018).
T adi ional media ha e always had p ominen
jou nalis s—o jou nalis s‐in luence s—who ha e pulled
hei own eade s o lis ene s o whiche e media
hey collabo a e wi h, con ibu ing o ein o cing hei
co po a e image (Pé ez Se ano & Ga cía San ama ía,
2021). In social ne wo ks, whe e he in luence economy
(Mellado & He mida, 2021) o he a en ion economy
(Goldhabe , 2006) p e ail, jou nalis s and in luence s
can coexis , making he same ype o con en and sha ‐
ing some common ules, especially in opics such as
li es yle (Maa es & Hanusch, 2020). The blu ing bound‐
a ies o jou nalism make i possible o hese ac o s o
coexis , o he poin ha jou nalis s a e no opposed o
he idea ha social media in luencing can ha e jou nalis‐
ic cha ac e is ics o be conside ed jou nalism (Valkonen,
2019). Howe e , he in luence s main ain as a di e en i‐
a ing elemen “ hei abili y o e ain high isibili y online”
and hei “mone izable s a us and po en ial ca ee ha
one can pu sue as a esul o hei in e ne celeb i y”
(Abidin, 2021, p. 79). Social ne wo ks c ea e a sense o
access o o he people’s p i a e li es and his makes
in luence s mo e a ac i e han adi ional media pe ‐
sonali ies (Abidin, 2015).
2.3. TikTok: New Logic and New Audience
TikTok is he as es g owing sho ideo app wo ldwide.
Owned by By eDance, i was launched in 2016 in China
as Douyin and hen adap ed o he in e na ional ma ke
(Kaye e al., 2021), abso bing Musical.ly in he p ocess.
TikTok is cha ac e ized by i s own logic ha di e en ia es
i om Ins ag am Reels, YouTube Sho s, By e, o o he
mic o‐ ideo apps.
The main di e ence o TikTok is i s algo i hm and con‐
sump ion expe ience. Unlike o he pla o ms, he use
does no see as a p io i y he ecen con en o he
accoun s hey ollow, bu ins ead hey a e shown he
con en ha he app’s algo i hm selec s on he Fo You
Page, in a con inuous, ne e ‐ending succession o ideos.
TikTok’s algo i hm makes i possible o any ideo om
any use — ega dless o hei numbe o ollowe s— o be
shown on his homepage. De e mining ac o s o achie e
his isibili y and i ali y seem o be he use o end‐
ing sounds and hash ags, o he numbe o in e ac ions—
likes,commen s,sha es—achie edby he ideoinagi en
ime among a educed g oup o use s (Klug e al., 2021).
TikTok’s own language and logic b ing wi h hem new
s a egies o gaining isibili y and becoming an in lu‐
ence on his social ne wo k. Abidin (2021) explains ha
i ali y is sough wi h e e y pos , so use s a e no o ced
o main ain a consis en and cohe en pe sonali y o
s yle. The unc ioning o TikTok also equi es a apid abil‐
i y o adap o he ends o he momen and o he di ‐
e en subcul u es and communi ies o he ne wo k.
The con en on he social ne wo k, cha ac e ized by
i s emo ional dimension (Feng e al., 2019), has been
di e si ying om being mainly musical o hos ing edu‐
ca ional, social, public heal h, o celeb i y ideos (Klug
e al., 2021). The p edominan ypes o ideos a e lip‐
syncs, challenges, due s, and li e s eaming.
TikTok is associa ed wi h a young audience, mainly
belonging o Gen Z (Pellice , 2019; Schmid , 2019). This
is he audience ha ends o be he mos ac i e (Mon ag
e al., 2021), especially eenage s looking o expand hei
social ne wo k, gain ame, sel ‐exp ess hemsel es, and
c ea e an iden i y (Bucknell e al., 2020). The main ea‐
sons o using TikTok a e sel ‐p esen a ion, endiness,
escapis addic ion, and no el y (Sche & Wang, 2021).
The exponen ial g ow h o he pla o m and i s young
audience ha e awakened he in e es o jou nalis ic
media, which a e adap ing o he logic o TikTok in
sea ch o new audiences and wi h enewed languages
(González, 2020; Klug, 2020; Schmid , 2019; Vázquez‐
He e o e al., 2020; Za a ano, 2019). Jou nalism seeks
i s place in his eme ging pla o m (Sido enko & He anz,
2020) and jou nalis s use hei pe sonal p o iles o
expe imen wi h new ways o dissemina ing in o ma ion
(K asa ina & Zolina, 2020), building hei pe sonal b and
and in e ac ing wi h a new audience.
3. Me hods
Wi h he aim o disco e ing he p esence o jou nal‐
is s on TikTok, we de eloped an explo a o y da abase,
using sc aping wi h a Py hon ad hoc applica ion. Fi s ,
we mapped he hash ags #jou nalism and #jou nalis ,
iden i ying he p o iles in which he use de ines hem‐
sel es as a jou nalis , news ancho , epo e , pho ojou ‐
nalis , TV/ adio hos , o media wo ke in one o se ‐
e al languages: English (500 publica ions e iewed in he
hash ags), Spanish (200), F ench (200), and Po uguese
(200). Secondly, simila p o iles sugges ed by he pla ‐
o m o hose use s wi h mo e han 50,000 ollowe s
we e e iewed (and hose sugges ed in his case we e
e iewed in u n). Finally, 18 ac i e p o iles om he col‐
labo a i e lis p omo ed by F ancesco Za a ano (a ail‐
able a h ps://bi .ly/2T4P RI) we e added as we had
no ound hem in he sys ema ized sea ch, and his
is he i s ini ia i e o collec ing jou nalis s on TikTok.
The da abase was upda ed on Feb ua y 27, 2021.
The lis o jou nalis s iden i ied on TikTok (n1=212)
p o ides a di e se se o p o essionals, om newly
c ea ed accoun s o consolida ed and popula p o iles.
Judging by numbe o ollowe s, ou s and ou wi h mo e
han 1 million (Feb ua y 2021): Ma cus DiPaola (2.6 M),
Jessica Pe ei a (1.3 M), Wandha Dwiu a i (1.1 M), and
Media and Communica ion, 2022, Volume 10, Issue 1, Pages 146–156 148
Owen Con len i (1.1 M). The sample is in e na ional, wi h
use s om 42 na ionali ies (Supplemen a y File), includ‐
ing: Uni ed S a es (49), B azil (30), Uni ed Kingdom (17),
Pe u (13), F ance (9), A gen ina (8), and Indonesia (8)—
acco ding o he Digi al News Repo 2021, Indonesia
and Pe u en e ed he op 5 o use o news on TikTok
(Newman e al., 2021).
The second phase consis ed o a sel ‐adminis e ed
ques ionnai e su ey (Hesse, 2017) sen o he 75 jou ‐
nalis s who ag eed o pa icipa e—89.6% o egis e ed
use s in he da abase we e loca ed and in i ed o pa ‐
icipa e. The Like ‐ ype esponse ques ions in he o m
use a 1–7 scale so ha he cen al alues a e dis ibu ed
a he han on a 1–5 scale. The execu ion pe iod was
om Ma ch 8 o Ap il 9, 2021, wi h a esponse a e o
84.0% (n2=63). The su ey sample consis ed o jou nal‐
is s om 25 coun ies, wi h an a e age age o 31 yea s
and di e en le els o educa ion (Supplemen a y File).
The hi d phase was based on con en analysis,
a quan i a i e me hod “ o iden i y and coun he
occu ence o speci ied cha ac e is ics o dimensions”
(Hansen & Machin, 2013, p. 89), speci ically o e ie e
p o ile da a and classi y published con en (Table 1). Fo
his pu pose, he sample was limi ed o he 52 p o iles
wi h mo e han 100,000 ollowe s ( ep esen ing 24.5%
o he egis e ed use s in he da abase, who eached a
subs an ial le el o popula i y) in which we analyzed—
be ween Ap il 15 and 30, 2021— he 10 mos ecen
pos s (n3=520), as he equency o publica ion a ies
o each p o ile. P e iously, a p e es was pe o med o
design he ypology and also an in e a e eliabili y ana‐
lysis o de e mine consis ency among code s, ob aining
“almos pe ec ag eemen ” (𝜅=0.911; p<0.001). Du ing
he p e es we de ined hese con en ca ego ies:
• “Daily li e” ep esen s scenes o e e yday li e a
home o a wo k;
• “In o ma ion” is he sec ion ha ga he s news
abou cu en e en s, in o ma ion ha is dissem‐
ina ed as an o e iew o sho and concise head‐
lines, and ideos ha explain in g ea e dep h
aspec s ela ed o cu en a ai s (such as ongo‐
ing legisla i e o elec o al p ocesses, which can be
complex wi hou con ex );
• “Humo ” co esponds o unny con en , silly si ua‐
ions, and jokes, as well as he eac ion o jou nal‐
is s o comical o c azy si ua ions;
• “Dance” is used o people dancing in he pe sonal
and p o essional sphe e;
• “Tips” g oups oge he ad ice, ecommenda ions,
and sugges ions (on a a ie y o opics such as
ood, heal h, a el, and p o essional and spi i ual
de elopmen );
• “P omo ion” ep esen s ideos p omo ing con en
o p oduc s;
• “Challenge” esponds o TikTok’s own dynamic o
ends, in which use s ge in ol ed by pe o m‐
ing ce ain dances, i al ac ions, o demons a ing
skills gene ally linked o a song.
4. Resul s
4.1. Jou nalis s on TikTok: P esence, Use, Managemen ,
and Ta ge Audience
The su ey o jou nalis s on TikTok (n2=63) p o ides
a no el pe spec i e on hei p esence on his pla o m.
The leading eason hey joined TikTok was o each
new audiences (50.8%). Howe e , a qua e is simply
Table 1. Analysis shee .
P o ile Use name
Followe s
Likes
Ve i ica ion
Bio
Coun y
Con en Daily li e Home scenes (pe sonal)
Wo k scenes
In o ma ion News
Headlines
Explana ion, summa y, and op ( anking)
Humo Funny and silly hings
Reac ions, commen s
Dance A home/ou doo s
A wo k
Tips
P omo ion Con en p omo ion
Ad e ising (p oduc )
Challenge
Media and Communica ion, 2022, Volume 10, Issue 1, Pages 146–156 149
he e because hey a e ha ing un (23.8%). The e a e
jou nalis s p esen because i is an addi ional channel
o epo ing (12.7%) o because i is endy (3.2%).
In “o he answe s” (9.5%), some exp essed hei in e ‐
es “in explo ing new pla o ms” and “ o use new s yles
o s o y elling” o speci ic objec i es such as o “ igh
misin o ma ion.’’
Rega ding he use hey make o hei p o ile (Table 2),
he p io i y op ion is “ o p esen and ein o ce my
pe sonal b and” (5.8 ou o 7), wi h 46.0% indica ing
ha hey o ally ag ee wi h his s a emen . In second
place, hey conside showing hemsel es as a p o es‐
sional o he o ganiza ion, media, o p og am whe e hey
wo k (5.0), wi h 33.3% o ally ag eeing. The hi d op ion
wi h he g ea es consensus is “dissemina ing cu en
in o ma ion” (4.3) wi h 22.2% indica ing o al ag eemen .
On he o he hand, he e a e wo ac i i ies ha each a
high le el o disag eemen : “ o show my daily and pe ‐
sonal li e” and “ o p omo e con en o p oduc s.”
Wi h he g ow h o new pla o ms, he managemen
o pe sonal social media is becoming mo e and mo e
ime consuming. The ime de o ed o his ask each day
by jou nalis s (Table 3) a ies signi ican ly in each case,
wi h 2–3 hou s being he mos common. Mos spend less
han 1 hou pe day only on TikTok (52.5%). Analyzing
he ime dedica ed o his pla o m (Table 4), we obse e
ha 44% o hose su eyed dedica e a leas 50% o hei
daily ime o social ne wo ks. Rega ding he media o p o‐
g ams whe e hey wo k, 32.3% ha e an o icial p o ile
and 23.0% o jou nalis s su eyed say ha hei o gani‐
za ions di ec he ac i i y o jou nalis s on hei pe sonal
p o iles on social media.
I he main eason o being on TikTok is o each
new audiences, a key ques ion is whe he he jou nal‐
is s a e a ge ing a speci ic audience. 68.3% a e look‐
ing o a new audience ha does no know hem, while
49.2% a e a ge ing young people o he millennial and
cen ennial gene a ions. 36.5% ocus on audiences who
a e loyal o hem o hei p og am. Only h ee jou nal‐
is s indica ed o he answe s: young jou nalis s (3.2%) o
no a ge (1.6%).
Rega ding he adap a ion o hei ac i i y o he logic
o TikTok, jou nalis s exp ess hei in ol emen : They
in e ac wi h o he use s h ough answe s o hei ques‐
ions, due s, o commen s (5.9 ou o 7; 58.7% “s ongly
ag ee”), and pay a en ion o he ends and challenges
o he momen when gene a ing new con en (5.0).
Rega ding jou nalis ic ac i i y, 44.4% ha e no doub
ha TikTok is a sui able pla o m o dissemina ing in o ‐
ma ion (5.8 ou o 7). In he same way, hey unde ‐
s and ha jou nalis ic media should be on TikTok o con‐
nec wi h he younge gene a ions (6.4; 68.3% “s ongly
Table 2. Use o p o ile.
Use A g “To ally ag ee” (7 ou o 7)
P esen and ein o ce my pe sonal b and 5.8 46.0%
In oduce mysel as a p o essional om an o ganiza ion, media, o p og am 5.0 33.3%
P o ide ips 4.4 22.2%
Dissemina e cu en in o ma ion 4.3 7.9%
Dissemina e humo ous con en 4.0 7.9%
Pa icipa e in challenges and ends 3.7 17.5%
Show my daily and pe sonal li e 3.6 20.6%
P omo e con en o p oduc s 2.7 6.3%
Table 3. A e age ime spen on social media managemen .
Time TikTok Social media
<1 h day 52.5% 9.8%
1 h day 21.3% 26.2%
2–3 h s day 21.3% 31.1%
4–5 h s day 3.3% 18.0%
>5 h s day 1.6% 14.8%
Table 4. Time spen on TikTok as p opo ion o o al ime spen on social media managemen .
Time on TikTok s. social media Numbe o jou nalis s
100% 9
75.0–99.9% 6
50.0–74.9% 11
25.0–49.9% 14
0.1–24.9% 19
Media and Communica ion, 2022, Volume 10, Issue 1, Pages 146–156 150

ag ee”) and ha jou nalis ic alues can be ans e ed o
TikTok and hus u n he jou nalis in o an in luence on
his pla o m (6.3; 60.3% “s ongly ag ee”).
4.2. TikTok’s Po en ial o Jou nalis s
4.2.1. Looking o New Audiences
Jou nalis s conside ha TikTok’s main po en ial lies in
eaching new audiences. This is indica ed by 47.6% o
hose su eyed, who allude bo h o eaching new use s in
gene al and, speci ically, he younge gene a ions. One
o he poin s ha s ands ou is ha he e is an impo ‐
an g oup o people who do no consume in o ma ion
in adi ional media such as newspape s, ele ision, o
adio, o show no in e es in in o ma ion o a oid news.
“The main po en ial o TikTok o jou nalis s is o connec
wi h an audience ha does no o a ely uses adi ional
media” obse ed one F ench jou nalis .
Wi hin his clea objec i e o eaching new audi‐
ences, o 30.2% o esponden s, he g ea oppo uni y
o his pla o m is o each younge gene a ions. In a
pla o m domina ed by Gen Z, jou nalis s ecognize ha
his audience is disconnec ed om adi ional media—
and he media om hem—so TikTok is “a way o lea n
new ways o communica e news, o keep in ouch wi h
younge gene a ions and o keep upda ed,” as an I alian
jou nalis obse ed. “Mos media o ganiza ions ha e li ‐
le knowledge o wha younge audiences wan om
news so being on TikTok helps you unde s and ha ,”
added a jou nalis om Swi ze land. 7.9% conside ha
i can be a space o di ec in e ac ion wi h he audience,
o ge o know hem, o disco e ele an opics, and o
p o ide answe s: “TikTok use s wan in o ma ion and ask
many c i ical ques ions which is g ea o us as jou nal‐
is s,” said a head o social media s a egy om Ge many.
The pla o miza ion o jou nalism has led o he dis‐
pe sion o con en on hi d‐pa y pla o ms, so jou nal‐
is s a e also looking o ans e audiences om TikTok
o o he pla o ms: “This pla o m is a sp ingboa d… o
Ins ag am, Facebook and YouTube, o look o b oade
jou nalis ic con en .”
4.2.2. Con en Is King, bu Fo m Is Key
Twen y‐se en pe cen o he jou nalis s su eyed see
TikTok’s po en ial o hei ac i i y in he o ma . On he
pla o m, hey highligh en e aining, un, and simple
con en , which also allows o he dis ibu ion o in o ma‐
i e and educa ional messages ha a e, abo e all, b ie ,
“bi e‐sized.” The con en is adically di e en om wha
we ha e seen in o he social ne wo ks, also hea ily con‐
di ioned by he algo i hmic ecommenda ion ha domi‐
na es access o con en . Fo his eason, a B i ish jou nal‐
is poin ed ou ha “TikTok could be a g ea pla o m o
con en which is no ime‐ amed,” since i is no possi‐
ble o con ol he o de and iming o he ideos shown
o use s.
The o ma is so pa icula ha one jou nalis de ined
i di e en ly om “social media,” as “mic o en e ain‐
men ” and compa ed i o Twi e : “Because i ’s looped,
i means people can wa ch i 2–3 imes un il hey ha e
abso bed all he con en . Jus as Twi e o ced us o
e hink he way we w i e o con ey in o ma ion in
140–280 cha ac e s, TikTok is doing he same wi h ame‐
by‐ ame e ical s o y elling.”
4.2.3. Behind he Came as, Jou nalism P ac ice, and
Pe sonal B anding
Showcasing he jou nalis s’ wo k and building hei pe ‐
sonal b and is he hi d ac o ha explains hei p es‐
ence on TikTok. Making hei p o essional ac i i y isible
and le ing people see wha goes on behind he scenes is
whe e 9.5% o esponden s see po en ial. The audience
likes o know abou such hings, and i allows hem o
“humanize jou nalis s as we a e also no mal people,” as
a Canadian jou nalis no ed.
I is no only abou showing wha hei daily li e is like;
i is also a new space o ind “ ending news s o ies and
new oices,” said a social media edi o om he Uni ed
S a es, and e en “opinions om ma ginalized g oups,”
added a B i ish eelance .
Fo 14.3%, i is ano he pla o m on which o es ab‐
lish and g ow a pe sonal b and. Some jou nalis s di ec ly
alluded o he e ec on c edibili y: “I can build hei
us [o he audience] and hey a e mo e likely o lis en
and consume he news,” said a B i ish jou nalis . TikTok’s
boos o a jou nalis ’s p o ile ela es o he abili y o dis‐
semina e and i alize con en (7.9%). “I can help in c e‐
a ing a powe ul image o he jou nalis in o de o be
ecognized o his o he wo k among he public,” said
one Spanish spo s jou nalis . The apid g ow h in ollow‐
e s and iews is an incen i e o 4.8% o he jou nalis s
su eyed, who ecognize ha success is mo e a ainable
han on o he pla o ms:
The each and disco e abili y on TikTok is unpa al‐
leled. Fo an a icle ha is b eaking news, i you a e
able o alk you audience h ough he a icle, sha e
i on he TikTok pla o m in a c ea i e, ideo‐cen ic,
and pe sonable way, i has he oppo uni y o each
millions o people wi hin 24 hou s. The shee size o
i s each is a social media manage and jou nalis ’s
d eam. (US jou nalis )
4.3. Con en Analysis
The analysis o pos s (n3=520) o he 52 use s wi h mo e
han 100,000 ollowe s allows us o classi y he con en
published by jou nalis s on TikTok and iden i y hei use
o his pla o m (Table 5).
28.4% o he pos s co espond o he “daily li e” ca e‐
go y, which includes scenes a home, om hei pe sonal
sphe e, such as daily ou ines, amily momen s, pe sonal
ca e and beau y, ou i s, ee ime, and opinions. We also
Media and Communica ion, 2022, Volume 10, Issue 1, Pages 146–156 151
Table 5. Con en published by jou nalis s on TikTok.
Ca ego y Numbe o pos s %
Daily li e Home scenes (pe sonal) 75 14.4
Wo k scenes 73 14.0
In o ma ion News 47 9.0
Headlines 1 0.2
Explana ion, summa y, and op ( anking) 51 9.8
Humo Funny and silly hings 74 14.2
Reac ions, commen s 22 4.2
Dance A home/ou doo s 30 5.8
A wo k 43 8.3
Tips 62 11.9
P omo ion Con en p omo ion 19 3.7
Ad e ising (p oduc ) 14 2.7
Challenge 9 1.7
ind wo k scenes, which show e e yday aspec s o hei
p o ession: how hey p epa e o a li e show, wha goes
on behind he scenes, he asks a epo e pe o ms,
answe s o use s’ ques ions abou hei wo k, and mo e.
This is he case o Rachael O’Neil showing he i s day
a wo k a CBS o Cin hel Fe ei a (Sis ema B asilei o de
Tele isão) esponding o a use asking why he e is a
delay in li e connec ions o showing behind he came as.
In o ma ion occupies he second mos common ca ‐
ego y (19.0%). He e we mus di e en ia e ypes o in o ‐
ma ion: (a) news, i.e., sho ideos in which a cu ‐
en e en is epo ed; (b) headlines o he day; and
(c) explana o y con en wi h mo e dep h, summa y, and
ankings. A clea example is Ma cus DiPaola ancho ing
daily news in sho ideos wi h a close‐up sho o his
ace. Al e na i ely, he e is Lisa Remilla d (BEONDTV),
who explains in mo e de ail he p ocesses and measu es
o US poli ics, o , wi h a mo e opiniona ed one, Robe
B eich (Inequali y Media). The adap a ion o jou nalis‐
ic in o ma ion o TikTok is also ound om o he use s,
such as Sophia Smi h Gale (BBC) o Max Fos e (CNN),
al hough in hese cases i is no he only ype o con en
hey sha e.
This is ollowed by wo popula ca ego ies on TikTok:
humo and dances. Humo (18.4%) appea s h ough
unny and silly pieces (jokes, unny ideos) and eac‐
ions o o commen s abou humo ous con en . Dancing
(14.1%) is ound bo h in he pe sonal sphe e (home o
ou doo s) and in he p o essional sphe e (usually danc‐
ing wi h wo k colleagues on a se ).
O he ypes o publica ions include: ips (11.9%), e.g.,
cooking, eading, coaching, languages, and a wide a ie y
o opics; con en p omo ion (3.7%) o i s publica ions o
media appea ances; ad e ising o comme cial p oduc s
(2.7%); and pa icipa ion in challenges (1.7%)—a key ele‐
men o TikTok ep esen ed a a low equency.
5. Conclusions
Jou nalis s ha e had o adap o TikTok as an eme g‐
ing pla o m ha is di e en om o he social ne ‐
wo ks because o i s main audience, language, and logic.
The ecen ise o TikTok and i s new logic has led some
jou nalis s o de elop an adap ed app oach, p ese ing
he adi ional alues o he p o ession, while o he s
be on he ede ine app oach, c ea ing new ways o
elling he news, pa icipa ing in challenges, o show‐
ing hei humo ous side (Mellado & Al a o, 2020). A sig‐
ni ican p opo ion o hem join wi h he main pu ‐
pose o c ea ing a pe sonal b and and gaining isibili y
wi h new audiences—as has happened wi h o he pla ‐
o ms like Twi e (B ems e al., 2017; Sacco & Bossio,
2017)—especially young people. They ace he challenge
o cap u ing he a en ion o use s on a pla o m used
mainly o en e ainmen and whe e pe sonali ies gen‐
e a e mo e in e es han mains eam news, con a y o
wha happens on o he ne wo ks such as Twi e o
Facebook (Newman e al., 2021).
The de elopmen o hei pe sonal b and on TikTok
has a hyb id na u e and combines o ganiza ional, p o‐
essional, and pe sonal iden i ies (O o o demgen ‐
schen elde, 2017), making isible aspec s o hei wo k,
he media, and hei pe sonal li es. The same jou nal‐
is does no gene ally main ain a single and cons an
ole, bu combines he oles (Mellado & He mida, 2021)
o p omo e (when hey seek o ein o ce hei p o es‐
sional and pe sonal b and, p omo e hei in o ma i e
con en , o ad e ise a p oduc ), celeb i y (which can
occu in hose p o iles ha achie e a high numbe o ol‐
lowe s, ac ing as amous celeb i ies and bene i ing om
i in some way), and joke (when he jou nalis c ea es
humo ous con en , commen s in a unny way abou hei
wo k o li e, idicules hemsel es, o eac s o TikTok’s
Media and Communica ion, 2022, Volume 10, Issue 1, Pages 146–156 152
own humo ous con en ). As Abidin (2021) explains, i al‐
i y is sough in each publica ion, so use s a e no obliged
o main ain a s yle and a ole.
They mani es a ele an in o ma i e pu pose ( o
in o m, dissemina e, and p omo e con en ), al hough
a majo pa o he consume o ien a ion (Hanusch &
Tandoc, 2019) is iden i ied as opposed o he public
se ice oca ion in he ac i i y o jou nalis s on TikTok,
when p o iding en e ainmen o audiences and ad ice,
ips, and di ec ions o daily li e. Some jou nalis s’ p o‐
iles each high numbe s o ollowe s, bu no all ha e
he same ype o con en : In o ma i e p o iles con e ge
wi h o he s ha a e mo e ocused on en e ainmen .
In he analysis, we obse ed a a ie y o con en pub‐
lished by jou nalis s, om he adap a ion o hei p o‐
essional ac i i y o mimic he p edominan con en on
TikTok: daily li e scenes—al hough jou nalis s disag eed
abou showing hei pe sonal li es—in o ma ion, comi‐
cal ideos, dances, con en p omo ion, and challenges.
In he ela ionship be ween jou nalis s and he audi‐
ence, he e a e p ac ices ha di e en ia e be ween
hose who a e a he away om engagemen and
hose who a e ac i ely in ol ed (Xia e al., 2020), espe‐
cially when answe ing ques ions om o he use s abou
hei wo k o when pa icipa ing in due s and chal‐
lenges. The e is no e idence o a ele an use o
TikTok, a he momen , o o he dynamics o he p o‐
duc ion p ocess ha ha e been s udied in o he ne ‐
wo ks, such as li e‐ epo ing o newsga he ing on Twi e
(Can e , 2015), o sou ce sea ch o commen manage‐
men on Ins ag am, Facebook, o LinkedIn (B and zaeg &
Chapa o Domínguez, 2018). Howe e , some jou nalis s
on TikTok claim o be on he pla o m o keep up o da e
wi h new ends o o ge in ouch wi h mino i y g oups.
Jou nalis s a e p esen in a new communica ional
space, which has i s own pa icula logic, and is he na ‐
u al habi a o he younge gene a ions. Can we say ha
jou nalis s a e in luence s on TikTok? On he one hand,
some o hem ha e a high isibili y and a la ge commu‐
ni y o ollowe s, hey open a window in o hei p i a e
li es, bu hey do no mone ize hei con en —a leas
no di ec ly, al hough hey seek o ein o ce hei pe ‐
sonal b and. A c ucial di e ence is ha jou nalis s’ main
occupa ion is no hei ac i i y on social media, bu some‐
hing complemen a y o hei job. Ne e heless, jou nal‐
is s and in luence s coexis in he same space wi h sha ed
codes. As men ioned abo e, jou nalis s belie e ha hey
can ans e jou nalis ic alues o TikTok and become
in luence s on his pla o m, in o de o connec wi h he
younge gene a ion.
This esea ch was de eloped a a s ill‐ea ly s age o
TikTok and jou nalis ic explo a ion o he pla o m and
i p esen s some limi a ions. Al hough he sea ch was
sys ema ized, i was di icul o d aw up a census o all
he jou nalis s on TikTok. Mo eo e , he pla o m is s ill
used by a mino i y o jou nalis s, no all o hem a e
egula ly ac i e on his social ne wo k and he e a e no
es ablished codes o conduc . Fo all hese easons, i
will equi e new app oaches and analysis in he u u e
o e alua e i s consolida ion as a channel o jou nalism
and jou nalis s. As has al eady happened on o he social
ne wo ks, he pe manence o jou nalis s on he pla o m
will end up shaping no ms o common pa e ns o beha ‐
io (Hedman, 2015; He mida & Mellado, 2020), as well as
media o ganiza ions de eloping guidelines o hei p o‐
essionals (Opgenha en & Schee linck, 2014). The con‐
solida ion o jou nalis ic ac i i y on TikTok will make i
necessa y o s udy he oles and dynamics ha a e es ab‐
lished, as well as he ela ionship wi h audiences and he
p edominan news alues on his pla o m, as explo ed
on Ins ag am (Al‐Rawi e al., 2021). Simila ly, i will be
necessa y o add ess how he egula ion o hese pla ‐
o ms in he di e en coun ies condi ions his eali y,
how jou nalis s hemsel es welcome i , and how media
o ganiza ions posi ion hemsel es.
Acknowledgmen s
This wo k was suppo ed by he Minis y o Science,
Inno a ion and Uni e si ies (Go e nmen o Spain) and
he ERDF s uc u al und wi hin he esea ch p ojec
Digi al Na i e Media in Spain: S o y elling Fo ma s and
Mobile S a egy (RTI2018–093346‐B‐C33).
Con lic o In e es s
The au ho s decla e no con lic o in e es s.
Supplemen a y Ma e ial
Supplemen a y ma e ial o his a icle is a ailable online
in he o ma p o ided by he au ho (unedi ed).
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