TikTok Currents: A concept for rethinking news on TikTok
This a fictional consulting project for TikTok, who in wants to engage in the news ecosystem in a way similar to its social media competitors, Twitter, Meta, etc. A section from prompt:
“TikTok’s New Initiatives team hires your group— a consumer research and strategy company— as a consultant. Their own research: 81% of US teens (14-19) report Tik-Tok is their “most trusted” news source; 66% of these teens identify as “conservative” or “right leaning.” Their executive team wants to develop a “news” product.
But, questions abound:
- What kind of news?
- Will they be viewed as a right-wing platform if they cater to conservative youth?
- Should they hire journalists and curate a news channel—like Twitter? Or should they train independent journalists to use Tik-Tok.
Their CEO clarifies the remit: ‘We want to participate in the news ecosystem, but we worry about being associated with America’s polarized news atmosphere. What approach should guide us as we take advantage of these findings?’ “
As a response to this prompt, my group put together this presentation and proposed a new content type: TikTok Currents. Currents are designed to use TikTok’s existing structure and blend in to how users currently use the application. We believe that by labeling current event topics as currents we can help highlight the first hand accounts and commentary of users, and encourage intentional news consumption.
I took charge translating our ideas to a design and prototype (slide 6 and this Figma).
Made as a part of “The News: The Profession of Journalism Goes Digital” course at Columbia University taught by Sudhir Venkatesh in Fall 2021