Top TikTok users worldwide are from Kenya. The Reuters Institute Digital News Reports 2023 poll, which was just released, supports this.
According to the survey, 54% of all TikTok usage in Kenya was for general purposes, and 29% was for news.
South Africa is next, with 50% for general use and 22% for news, followed by Thailand with 51% and 30% respectively. With 48% for general use and 30% for news, Peru comes in second.
ByteDance, a Chinese video hosting service, created TikTok with the intention of entertaining users.
The survey reveals, however, that Facebook, which has long held the top rank, is losing ground while TikTok, particularly among younger viewers, is gaining traction in the distribution of news.
Digital News Reports 2023 also shows that users of TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat tend to pay more attention to celebrities and social media influencers than media companies when it comes to news topics.
This is in sharp contrast to legacy social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, where news organisations still attract the most attention and lead conversations.
In terms of growth, TikTok remains the fastest-growing social network, with 44% of users using it, and is popular with 18-24 year olds.
The platform is heavily used in parts of Asia, Latin America and Africa.
There is also evidence that audiences continue to selectively avoid important stories, such as the cost of living, as they cut back on depressing news and seek to protect their mental health.
