TikTok & the self: The relationship between self-concept clarity and self-presentation in adult TikTok creators

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, TikTok, a video focused social media platform was downloaded 315 million times globally. TikTok is an application where users can create and share short videos of themselves or their desired activity or interest. While much research has been conducted on self-presentation for other social media platforms, there is a lack of research on self-presentation on TikTok. This mixed-methods study conducted with a cross-sectional, correlational design aimed to investigate if there is a relationship between self-concept clarity and online self-presentation of adult TikTok creators online. Ninety six respondents completed an online survey that assessed self-concept clarity and presentation online, using the Self-Concept Clarity scale and Presentation of the Online Self Scale for Adults (Freedom of Self Online and the Authentic Self subscales). TikTok creators with lower self-concept clarity expressed higher ideal self and freedom of self online. However, high self-concept clarity was not significantly related to presenting an authentic self-online. Exploratory questions were asked to explore users’ motivations for using augmented reality filters, lip-synching effect, and the text-to-speech effect. Content analysis revealed that the motivations for using these features were trends, fun, self-presentation purposes, entertainment, and accessibility. In contrast to previous findings, here adults who create TikTok videos who score low in self-concept clarity express themselves more freely online, whereas adults who score high in self-concept did not present the self authentically. Overall, this thesis contributes to the existing literature on self-presentation and self-concept clarity on social media.