By TikTok poses a positive impact to journalists’ careers by expanding their reach and showcasing growth and opportunities.
According to Pew Research Center, 52% of adults in the United States have used TikTok for news in the past two years.
Among U.S. adult Tik Tok users with five or more followed accounts, 14% follow media outlets, 53% follow political accounts, and 41% follow news sources.
Four in 10 adults under the age of 30 get news from TikTok, compared to news influencers on social media by a 2% margin (39% to 37%).
As American viewership shifts, journalists can serve the public by adapting to new platforms.
Many news outlets have adapted, creating short, fast and informative videos for their audiences.
This is why users get hooked on short videos from favorite accounts as they cover small stories piece-by-piece instead of being overwhelmed with information.
Students need an app that shares news of the rapid world they live in and TikTok offers quick updates that are easy to digest.
Andrea Maldonado, a kinesiology major at Long Beach State, shared that she gets her news from TikTok.
“I think TikTok can help journalists, especially when it comes to discovering new topics that may be of interest to them,” Maldonado said. “Through TikTok’s algorithm, journalists can explore topics they want to learn and subjects they know nothing about but interest them.”
Like many apps, TikTok is prone to misinformation.
One way to prevent this is by checking the account’s verification status and reviewing its followers and following. There, users can see if they follow or are being followed by other fake accounts who are spreading misinformation.
TikTok struggles with tackling misinformation, but users can help by reporting these accounts. The algorithm may show fake news if users prioritize such accounts, allowing harmful content to persist.
Credibility is scarce in today’s world of misinformation, but credible users on the app easily debunk the false claims.
Journalism has many trustworthy voices across all platforms. If users doubt an account, they should research its authenticity.
Websites like Snopes can verify any skeptical news presented on the app.
If users fill their algorithm with verified accounts that have many followers and a good reputation, the bad actors on the app will eventually disappear.
Additionally, The School of Journalism provided a list of well-known users on the app.
Being aware of the recent circumstance that TikTok is unavailable for some, there are still ways to access the app by using the web.
Web-based TikTok still shares many functions as the app version and cannot limit the use of the app for journalists.
Journalists can adapt to any environment and TikTok is no different. Be critical with the news you see on TikTok, but everyone, regardless of news source, should do their best to be informed on the world around them.
