TikTok has seemingly taken over the music world, forcing changes to how listeners discover and consume music. Heralded as the most downloaded app ever, TikTok saw 315 million quarterly downloads in Q1 of 2020 alone, fast-tracking the app to break download records. Many ask the reasons behind its success: some would argue its success is a result of an isolation-induced pandemic boredom, whilst others would suggest its a fresh take on an ageing social media set-up. This dissertation shall explore the importance of TikTok’s footprint on the motivations of content creators and its relationship with content consumers through qualitative methods to interpret the opinions of content creators and consumers. The study shall highlight key theories, relying on the Uses and Gratifications Theory, whilst also developing analysis into the role the ‘self’ has on identity creation for both consumers and creators, as well as highlighting technologically determining factors that have led to TikTok’s adoption as an app used to gratify consumption needs for its users.
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