TikTok enjoys a huge following among its users – as many as 82.2% of them say they like the platform, including nearly 33% who like it very much. What is behind such a good result? Can TikTok influence our mood? What are the different user groups looking for on the platform, and which brands are doing best in this environment? The answers to these questions are provided by the latest GetHero’s report, created together with SWPS University.
The report “Who are Polish TikTok users?” is the fourth installment of GetHero’s annual research project. This year’s edition reflects the position TikTok has taken over the past 12 months – as it is predicted to be the fastest growing platform in 2022. The record-breaking popularity of the app is due not only to spectacular download statistics, but most importantly to the constant and noticeable changes that are taking place in the platform community.
The previous edition of the report showed us that TikTok has become a cross-generational medium and has managed to gather around it a unique community, which we named „Generation T”. This year we wanted to take a closer look at its representatives – that’s why we expanded the classic survey study also with a panel of in-depth interviews with TikTok users. These conversations brought us dozens of valuable insights and allowed us to understand the users’ perspective even better. The result is nearly 100 pages of valuable knowledge,” says Magdalena Wysocka, research leader at GetHero.
The results of the research have also been enriched with comments from Polish marketers and creators representing various thematic areas – including #Beauty, #SexEd, #Law or #Psychology. The full report can be downloaded for free at www.gethero.pl/raport-tiktok.
Among other things, the survey showed that the average age of Polish TikTok users has been steadily increasing, with users aged 19-25 and older creating the most new accounts over the past year. Interestingly, the app is very popular with basically every age group – respondents regardless of age unanimously agree that TikTok provides them with fun, can improve their mood, and helps them relax. It also turns out that the platform can affect our mood, and after a TikTok “session” we feel a little less bored.
What do we look for on TikTok?
The researchers also examined what kind of content different groups of users are looking for on TikTok. The most frequently indicated format – by both older and younger respondents – was trends and comedy-tinged content. In addition, the responses of male respondents were interesting, as men declared that they valued the practical nature of the TikToks they watched, including videos marked with the hashtags #Lifehack and #EduTok.
TikTok’s algorithm plays the most important role in precisely matching content to users’ preferences – and the responses of our respondents confirm that it does a great job of this. The content displayed in the “For You” tab was determined by the majority of users to be relevant, personalized and to their liking. The result is a positive perception of the app itself and a liking for the platform. It’s hard to find a better proof of the algorithm’s effectiveness,” says Kamil Jakubiszyn, Senior Social Media Analyst at GetHero.
Interestingly, as many as 78.9% of TikTok users say they have gained new knowledge or skills on the platform. Among the most frequently indicated answers, cooking, makeup or grooming dominate, but the top ten also included world events, sex education and legal issues.
These results perfectly show that for many users TikTok is more than an entertainment platform. It is a kind of window to the world, which provides information on important current topics – including economic or socio-political ones. In this context, a frequently indicated topic area was, among others, the war in Ukraine. Another surprising result for us was the number of responses related to sex education. This proves that users are constantly looking for access to knowledge – especially knowledge to which access may be limited in some way,” comments Dr. Jakub Kuś, lead researcher in the project on behalf of SWPS University.
Who’s doing it right?
GetHero specialists also checked which brands do best on TikTok. The favorite of Polish users turned out to be the Rossmann drugstore chain, and the brand itself was hailed by respondents as the “king” of the platform. Also on the podium were the Duolingo app and the Ryanair airline. Among the most popular brands with a Polish origin, OnlyBio, Empik and Dooti Donuts were mentioned most often.
Respondents were also asked to identify the key features that the perfect TikTok material should have. They considered the fun and entertaining nature of the material to be the most important component – this answer was the first indicated by more than 42% of users. In second place was the aesthetic factor – 25% of people stressed the importance of skillful editing and appropriate lighting. The third important feature is informativeness – more than 16% of users admitted that they appreciate when the material provides information on a topic important to them.
The full version of the GetHero and SWPS University report can be downloaded for free at www.gethero.pl/raport-tiktok.
