Motivations on TikTok addiction: The moderating role of algorithm awareness on young people

Abstract

Algorithm awareness, which is defined as the degree to which the user is aware of the presence of algorithms and the way in which they function, could influence how users behave online and interact. The main focus of this study is to understand how algorithm awareness moderates the association between usage motivations and addiction to TikTok videoclips among young people. An online questionnaire was designed and responses attained from 473 young people in China to explore the motivations for consuming video clips, their algorithm awareness levels, and the degree of addiction when using TikTok. The survey results confirm that there are six main factors that motivate young people to consume video clips on TikTok, of which the relaxing entertainment motivation and the information-seeking motivation receive higher scores. They also reveal that the level of addiction to TikTok is relatively high, whereas the level of algorithm awareness among young people remains at a relatively moderate level. Second, when investigating the motivations for use that lead to addiction, the motivations of information seeking, relaxing entertainment, and social interaction are found to be predictors of TikTok video clip addiction. Third, the moderating role of algorithm awareness, whose effects on interactions with information seeking and relaxing entertainment are significant, is studied, and it is found that increasing the level of algorithm awareness among young people could help reduce the addictive use of TikTok.