TikTok/Douyin Use and Its Influencer Video Use: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between Chinese and US Users

Abstract

Purpose This cross-cultural comparison study between China and the US aimed to examine the short video-sharing social media platform, TikTok/Douyin, particularly its use in the two countries. Because China and the US have some evident differences in cultural values, they are ideal for cross-cultural comparison between Western and Asian countries. Other than knowing the platform itself, how people use it, and their influencer video use, the study further explored how cultural values influenced user behaviors on TikTok/Douyin. Design/Methodology/Approach Two survey studies were conducted in each country. The questionnaire asked the same question but in two language versions—Chinese and English. Questions asked about participants’ demographic information, TikTok/Douyin use preference, influencer preference, and cultural values. Findings In general, Chinese participants had a more extended time experience of using Douyin, and they spent more time on Douyin every day. Participants had a different preference for influencers’ expertise on each platform. US participants favored music influencers while Chinese participants favored food influencers. Moreover, Chinese participants were more likely to be persuaded by influencers to make purchase decisions than US participants. Besides, Chinese participants claimed a higher individualism score and a lower power distance score than US participants, which contradicts with Hofstede’s original cultural scores for each country. Practical Implications Marketing practitioners should consider the demographic characteristics and use preferences of TikTok and Douyin users for their marketing practices. Moreover, the cultural scores (individualism and power distance) have changed between Chinese and US participants compared to original Hofstede’s cultural scores. Besides, the study confirmed that cultural values influenced users’ TikTok/Douyin use in some conditions. Therefore, practitioners should apply the new findings when making decisions when considering cultural differences. Originality/Value This is the first study to compare TikTok/Douyin use between the US and China and enhanced our understanding of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory. Furthermore, it demonstrates helpful and detailed information on the general platform use and how it is influenced by the cultural differences between the two countries.

The Review of Gratifications from Visual Communication Content Among Douyin Users

“…Distinct Douyin features tap, for example, into the modality affordance reflected by being able to look into other people's lives in videos (in contrast to looking at a possibly modified Instagram picture). In particular, the beauty function of Douyin combined with its video modality is likely to motivate users to present themselves in exchange for a social reward (Jin & Yang, 2020;Sun et al, 2020;Ying et al, 2022). Douyin's agency affordance is somewhat represented by the ability to present and express oneself to others through filming and posting videos.…”

Mediating Effect of Individual Factors, Social Factors, and Situational Factors in the Relationship Between the Impact of Social Media and Consumer Buying Behavior

“…The real-time nature creates a sense of immediacy and responsiveness in user interactions. For instance, UGC from influencers leverages the sense of immediacy and responsiveness produced by Douyin to encourage Chinese consumers to buy the products and services that they recommend (Yang, 2022).…”

“…By contrast, the biggest media station (CCTV-1) in China has access to almost the entire population (97.91 media power score) (Hays, 2022). In addition, the average watch time for television is approximately 4 hours and 18 minutes (Thomala, 2022a), compared to an average daily social media use of 1 hour and 57 minutes (The Global Statistics, 2023) and 2 hours on Douyin (Yang, 2022). The statistics might seem to support television viewership as the right media outlet to reach the masses in China until one considers the age demographic of television viewership compared with social media use.…”