TikTok’s Effect on the Growth of Live Streamers

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to understand the growth of live streamers and TikTok’s influence on them. As live streaming has grown to be one of the most appealing new generation hobbies or even a desired career and TikTok is skyrocketing in popularity, it is insightful to explore the correlation between them and see what either unites or benefits them. It became instantly clear how insufficient the prior research and information available on this topic is, which caused implications in creating an appropriate theoretical framework. Similar matters had to be explored and studied, such as TikTok’s effect on sports athletes’ promotion. In such a manner, similarities were compared and a dive into TikTok’s fundaments was taken right after. Causes of popularity and the history of TikTok were studied, and with that it was possible to present potential expectations of outcomes from this research. Methodology used was mixed research method with quantitative and qualitative research complementing each other. This method was implemented because of complimentary aspects of both research methods, as one supports claims of another. Following this decision, the following research question was formed: “Does TikTok have an effect on the growth of live streamers?” The question was explored through interviews with five experienced live streamers and a survey that collected answers from eighteen live streamers. The survey data was collected and presented in the form of figures and tables that were elaborated on with an in-depth evaluation. The interviews were transcribed and concluded in four parts as survey conclusions. This information is presented in appendices for easy access. The results confirmed the correlation between live streamers growth and TikTok short form content usage as a promotional tool. The responses reinforced mostly positively the idea of utilizing TikTok as a promotional tool to grow the live streaming channel. Specific content ideas and details were also categorized and presented to interested parties, which can help aspiring live streamers to kickstart their careers.