Digital content in the age of TikTok : user perception of the Covid-19 Button in Spain
Abstract
Covid-19 has provoked a global health crisis that has had profound social, cultural, economic and communicative implications (Castillo-Esparcia; Fernández-Souto; Puentes-Rivera, 2020). Social networks have proven to be an ideal and fundamental means of communication for transmitting key information on matters of general interest (Cancelo; Gadea, 2013). For this reason, these platforms acquire a determining role in the pandemic. TikTok, one of the emerging networks of the last two years, has introduced, in its mobile version, the Covid-19 button; a tool designed to help its community to protect themselves and others from the coronavirus. The initiative consists of resolving doubts and sharing information with members of the community, based on compliance with health recommendations (frequent hand washing, use of masks, etc.) issued by the Spanish Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization. The purpose of the research is to analyze the public perception of TikTok users about this tool and the resources available in its Spanish version, with the aim of determining how they value these contents, as well as their usefulness. For this purpose, a mixed methodology has been designed, consisting of a quantitative and qualitative analysis, which has materialized through an online survey addressed to a group of prosumers of the platform. The results reflect that these individuals favorably value the digital content shared on TikTok. However, they point out that it would be necessary to improve the design and adaptation of these resources to the platform and the target audience, as expressed in the sources consulted in the article ( ; De-las-Casas, 2020) (Marcelino, 2015). Therefore, the investigation reveals that the potential of this communication tool to offer information of general interest about the coronavirus is not being fully exploited. Finally, future lines of research at work are proposed, such as knowing the functionality of similar initiatives in other social networks or analyzing the TikTok messages disseminated by public institutions.
CONTENIDOS DIGITALES EN LA ERA DE TIKTOK: PERCEPCIÓN DE LOS USUARIOS DEL BOTÓN COVID-19 EN ESPAÑA
Resumen:
El Covid-19 ha provocado una crisis sanitaria, a nivel global, que ha irrumpido con profundas implicaciones sociales, culturales, económicas y comunicativas (Castillo-Esparcia, Fernández-Souto; Puentes-Rivera, 2020). Las redes sociales han demostrado ser un medio de comunicación idóneo y fundamental para transmitir información clave sobre asuntos de interés general (Cancelo; Gadea, 2013). Estas plataformas adquieren un papel determinante en la pandemia. TikTok, una de las redes emergentes de los últimos dos años, incorporó, en su versión móvil, el botón Covid-19; una herramienta diseñada para ayudar a su comunidad a protegerse del coronavirus. La iniciativa consiste en resolver dudas y compartir información, con los miembros de la comunidad, basada en el cumplimiento de las recomendaciones sanitarias (lavado de manos frecuente, uso de mascarilla, etc.) emitidas por el Ministerio de Sanidad, en España, y la Organización Mundial de la Salud. La investigación plantea como objeto de estudio el análisis de la percepción pública que poseen los usuarios de TikTok sobre esta herramienta y de los recursos disponibles en su versión española, con el objetivo de determinar cómo perciben estos contenidos, así como su utilidad. Con este propósito se ha diseñado una metodología mixta, compuesta por un análisis cuantitativo y cualitativo, que se ha materializado a través de una encuesta en línea dirigida a un grupo de prosumidores de la plataforma. Los resultados reflejan que estos individuos valoran de forma favorable los contenidos digitales compartidos en TikTok. No obstante, señalan que sería necesario mejorar el diseño y la adaptación de estos recursos a la plataforma y al público tipo, como se expresa en las fuentes consultadas en el artículo ( ; De-las-Casas, 2020) (Marcelino, 2015). Por ende, la investigación revela que no se está aprovechando plenamente el potencial de esta herramienta de comunicación para ofrecer información de interés general sobre el coronavirus. Finalmente, se plantean futuras líneas de investigación en el trabajo, como conocer la funcionalidad de iniciativas similares en otras redes sociales o analizar los mensajes de TikTok difundidos por las instituciones públicas.
Keywords
Social networks, coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemics, TikTok, digital contents, communication, institutional advertising, crisis, accessibility .
Palabras clave:
Redes sociales, coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemias, TikTok, contenidos digitales, comunicación, publicidad institucional, crisis, accesibilidad.
INTRODUCTION
The SARS-CoV-2 crisis is transforming the communication ecosystem in which brands, advertising agencies and advertisers operate (Xifra, 2020). Companies and institutions are looking for a new way of communicating and transmitting to engage with their target audiences, especially in digital environments (De-las-Casas, 2020).
In the business sphere, advertising based on the mass marketing of products and services is gradually being replaced by corporate communication aligned with the current situation of the population. The purpose of this new form of communication is to maintain and improve the reputation of brands, with messages of hope and reassurance aimed at citizens (Suarez, 2020).
At the institutional level, the different governments, calling for responsibility, are developing various communication actions that, with greater or lesser success, are trying to halt the spread of the coronavirus and protect people's health through advertising campaigns or the dissemination of certain content on social networks. These initiatives seek to promote habits based on the mandatory use of masks, frequent hand washing or safe distancing in public places (Moreno, 2020).
Social networks represent a key communication channel for transmitting information to the population on matters of public interest (Cancelo; Gadea, 2013). For this reason, institutions are multiplying their presence in these virtual environments to amplify their voice and convey to the population the importance of respecting health recommendations. In Spain, the Ministry of Health (2020) is present on networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram and YouTube, and has recently created a profile on TikTok, with the aim of connecting with younger people.
This platform, which is revolutionising the current social media landscape, has experienced profound growth over the last year and represents one of the most used social networks among Generation Z (Iab, 2020; Iab, 2021). The network is based on the editing and broadcasting of short videos, which can reach a significant number of views thanks to its algorithm. It currently has 1.5 billion active users. In addition, it is operational in 155 countries and available in 75 languages (Mohsin, 2021).
Due to its reach, Tiktok has become a potential tool to raise awareness about the coronavirus and stop its spread (Verne, 2020). The platform enabled the Covid-19 button on its mobile app, a section designed to provide accurate and verified information on the coronavirus, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation. The initiative, which is altruistic in nature, consists of resolving doubts and sharing digital content related to safety and prevention measures in a scenario of uncertainty.
In this context of crisis, it is necessary to consider the effectiveness of these new initiatives among citizens and whether they are adequate to achieve their objectives. For this reason, this research focuses on the analysis of the public perception that TikTok users have of the Covid-19 button and of the resources available in its Spanish version. The aim of the study is to determine how users value the advertising and informative content that forms part of this section of the mobile application.
This dystopia caused by the coronavirus has generated an unprecedented earthquake that is causing economic recessions, social outbursts and political conflicts that simultaneously affect multiple countries (Sterzer, 2020). The different public authorities, in an attempt to control the pandemic, are making use of different communication platforms and tools to warn society of the risks derived from the virus. Communication, from a strategic point of view, is acquiring a new dimension in this context of global crisis.
Public authorities face the challenge of connecting, through institutional communication and advertising, with a public that, due to the multiplicity of information and entertainment channels, is dispersed across different platforms and media that omit messages of a persuasive nature (Selva-Ruiz; Martín-Ramallal, 2019). Added to this fact is the profound proliferation of advertising messages that seriously hinders the receptive capacity of the masses (Orozco, 2010).
Communication has acquired a transcendental role in the transmission of preventive information about the coronavirus. However, it is evident that in social media such as Instagram, Facebook and YouTube it has not had the desired impact (Igartua, Ortega-Mohedano; Arcila-Calderón, 2020). For this reason, it is of interest to investigate young people's perception of this section of TikTok, since, according to the data consulted previously, it is an emerging network in full growth ( ; Mohsin, 2021) (Iab, 2020). It is necessary to develop, from an academic point of view, studies that allow us to reflect on the effectiveness of these communication tools, offering, if necessary, proposals to improve the quality and effectiveness of the information offered on issues of social interest: pandemics, disasters, etc.
The article explains the main theoretical foundations that form part of institutional advertising. It then analyses the role of social networks in the design and dissemination of digital content. This theoretical review serves as a basis for analysing the section of the TikTok application "Protective measures", which includes institutional advertisements, and "Questions and answers", which includes information on SARS-CoV-2, both included in the platform's "Covid-19 button". The methodology used to achieve the purpose of the study is detailed below. Next, the results obtained through quantitative and qualitative techniques are analysed and a discussion process is opened in which the theory addressed is related to the data obtained. Finally, the research closes with conclusions and a bibliography.
Institutional advertising in crisis contexts
Institutional advertising is a form of persuasive communication designed with the purpose of transmitting values to the population. Public authorities (the State, Autonomous Communities, Provinces and City Councils) use this marketing tool to disseminate propagandistic messages on matters of public interest ( ; Martínez, 2015) (Martínez, 2012).
The term institutional reflects the legitimacy and official nature of the messages delivered by public authorities (Bassat, 2006). On the other hand, the word advertising refers to any form of communication aimed at promoting ideas, products or services by a given advertiser (Kotler; Armstrong, 2013).
As a whole, this form of communication represents "one of the most important forms of existence of the state (since the state is something we can only perceive through its symbols, and it exists as it makes itself seen and heard by citizens)" (Cortés, 2011, p.7). It is the obligation of a democratic state to guarantee the right of its citizens to receive truthful information from the public authorities (Aguado-Guadalupe, 2018) in order to encourage, prevent or protect them on matters of general interest (Martínez, 2015).
Law 29/2005, of 29 December, on Institutional Advertising and Communication, states that this form of communication must serve "the strict service of the needs and interests of citizens, facilitate the exercise of their rights and promote the fulfilment of their duties" (p.3). At present, it constitutes "any activity oriented and ordered to the dissemination of a common message or objective, addressed to a plurality of recipients, which uses a paid or assigned advertising medium and is promoted or contracted by any of the subjects listed" (p.4). Institutional advertising respects the same principles and rules as commercial advertising. However, its degree of transcendence and its impact on society is greater (Bassat, 2006); it is a tool used "both to sell Coca-Cola around the world and to educate developing peoples on how to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS" (Kotler; Armstrong, 2013, p. 365).
This communication has a two-pronged approach based on information and persuasion. The advertiser issues messages with information of general interest to the public about a specific problem that, at the same time, has a persuasive intentionality (Martínez, 2015). As a whole, these messages are designed to maintain, reinforce or change certain attitudes of people in order to improve society and promote a certain brand image of a public body (Cortés, 2009). Consequently, suitable advertising messages must make use of reason and emotion to interact with the receiver (Bassat, 2006).
Advertising is a form of communication aimed at a target audience with a series of predefined objectives. In relation to the purposes of the issuing advertiser, advertising communication mainly fulfils three basic functions: to inform, persuade and remind (Kotler; Armstrong, 2013; ) (Monferrer, 2013).
Institutional advertising takes different forms depending on the objectives set out by the issuer of the communication: educational-social, commercial, informative and electoral. Educational: it focuses on the socialising function of the state, through campaigns aimed at transmitting values and provoking behavioural changes in citizens. Informative: it offers a series of indications to the population related to recycling, administrative procedures or emergency situations. Commercial: it seeks to attract clients for a market related to the country, as in the case of campaigns to promote tourism. Electoral: linked to citizen participation in democratic processes (Cortés, 2011).
On the other hand, a crisis represents an extraordinary event that affects the image and external balance of the institution in the eyes of its stakeholders (Piñuel, 1997). This situation provokes a change that generates an urgent problem that requires the attention of the public authorities (Castillo-Esparcia, 2010; Luecke, 2005). Gallardo-Vera and Micaletto-Belda explain that in a crisis situation the institution "must establish quality informative relations with all its internal and external audiences through a management of signs, messages, discourses and meanings appropriate to the attitudes that are being formed in the audiences during the course of the crisis" (2018, p. 451).
On this aspect,Xifra (2020) points out that "in times of Covid-19 we must not communicate in just any way. Organisations and brands must communicate with emotion, compassion and facts" (p.11).
Social networks and TikTok: new ways of communicating
In crisis situations, social networks facilitate communication between users and generate a sense of community (Olivares-García; Méndez-Majuelos, 2020).Flores-Vivar (2009) defines them as "a meeting place, a place for friends or people with common interests to get together" (p. 74). These platforms allow users to interact, keep in touch and share all kinds of information (Orihuela-Colliva, 2008). As a whole, they represent a break with the traditional sender-receiver communicative process, making it possible for a user to reach a large audience through the internet (Cancelo; Almansa, 2013) in a process based on mass self-communication (Castells, 2009).
These means of socialisation allow young people to build and project a certain image through the dissemination of original content that seeks to generate impact (Almansa-Martínez, Fonseca-Bogotá; Castillo-Esparcia, 2013). The so-called digital natives coexist in these online communities and demand content and uses adjusted to their personality and interests. Therefore, brands that want to connect with their audiences must adapt their advertising or information content to the channel, the type of audience and the cultural universe of society ( ; De-las-Casas, 2020; Cancelo; Gadea, 2013) (Marcelino, 2015).
In the case of TikTok, during the confinement caused by Covid-19, it became the most downloaded and used mobile application (Tamara, 2020). Among the factors that have contributed to its success are: the ease of registration, the variety of content and themes (challenges, cooking recipes, music content, live broadcasts, product purchases, advertising content, etc.), the simple and attractive design, the ease of creating videos with high levels of creativity, and its algorithm. In relation to this last aspect, the platform learns from the tastes of each user, designing a unique experience that adapts the content to each person, learning from their tastes and consumption habits. The application uses machine learning to gather information about the videos that each user likes, the comments made, the content created or the accounts they follow. At the same time, it allows any prosumer to easily viralise their videos even without having a large number of subscribers. In addition, it is worth noting that it is not necessary to complete a registration to access the platform and enjoy its content. This allows creators to reach a wider audience and users to try out the social network without access barriers (Galeano, 2021; Branco, 2020; ) (Valero, 2020).
METHODOLOGY
This article, from a deductive perspective (Eco, 2014), reflects a descriptive and documentary research based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis, which has allowed us to analyse part of the theoretical foundations, which deal with the object of study, as well as to know the users' evaluations of the contents that are part of the Covid-19 button of TikTok.
Descriptive studies "narrate, review or identify facts, situations, features, characteristics of an object of study" (Bernal, 2010, p.113). In this case, we analyse the evaluations issued by TikTok users about the content disseminated on the Covid-19 button. On the other hand, a documentary study is considered when the "written information on a certain topic is examined, with the purpose of establishing relationships, differences, stages, positions or current state of knowledge regarding the topic under study" (Bernal, 2010, p.111). On this aspect, in the development of this article, different printed and digital works that deal with institutional advertising and social networks from different perspectives are consulted, in order to relate and compare the results obtained with the existing theory on the subject in question.
In relation to the techniques employed, qualitative research involves the use and collection of information related to people's thoughts and feelings, through interviews, personal experiences or observations (Gil-Flores, Rodríguez-Gómez; García-Jiménez, 1996). On the other hand, quantitative studies allow us to know certain aspects of interest about a population; "by studying a certain number of subjects in the population (a sample) we can get an idea of what the population is like as a whole" (Hueso; Cascant, 2012).
These techniques took the form of an online survey, using a semi-structured questionnaire composed of open and closed questions. The open questions, of a qualitative nature, were collected and evaluated by means of an analysis sheet, which made it possible to collect the most personal assessments of the individuals. The closed questions, based on the research presented by M Martín-Herrera and Micaletto-Belda (2021), were collected on a Likert-type scale with values from 1 to 4, where 1 = very little (MP); 2 = little (P); 3 = quite a lot (B); 4 = a lot (M); or dichotomous answers: yes or no. The results were exported to a spreadsheet with a score of 1 to 4. The results were exported to a spreadsheet in order to analyse, interpret and represent the data obtained.
The sample is made up of 95 users of this platform, who are studying for university degrees related to Communication and Digital Communication. During the dissemination of the questionnaire, the Covid-19 button of TikTok was no longer visible in the application; a fact that has coincided in time with a considerable increase in the number of infections among young people (Mouzo, 2021).
For this reason, we understand that, although the results are valid, they cannot be extrapolated to the entire universe of university students. However, the study and the questionnaire used could be replicable, as they can serve as a basis for analysing the functionality of other communication tools.
In terms of their profile, 96.8% of these respondents are aged between 18 and 23. 56.8% are between 18-19 years old; 32.6% between 20-21 years old; 7.4% between 22-23 years old; 1.1% between 24-25 years old and, finally, 2.1% are over 25 years old. In terms of gender, 41.1% of the participants were men and 58.9% were women. In terms of education, 62.1% of the students are studying a degree in Digital Communication, 18.9% are studying a degree in Communication and 18.9% are studying a Double Degree in Communication and Digital Communication.
Following the indications of Prensky (2011), we speak of digital natives; a generation of young people who were born in the midst of the technological revolution and who interact socially in an interconnected way. This generation has turned portable devices into an extension of their bodies and minds. On the other hand, the academic training of these students, who take different subjects related to web design, analytics, usability, graphic design, SEM or SEO, among other subjects, is ideal for properly analysing the functionalities of this tool.
Therefore, this sample has been selected for two reasons: TikTok is one of the social networks most used by members of generation Z (Iab, 2021; Tamara, 2020); furthermore, the academic background of these students allows them to evaluate the contents of this application from a double social and professional perspective.
Prior to the questionnaire, participants were asked to review the TikTok Covid-19 button and its available resources on their mobile devices. The professor, in order not to influence the results of the questionnaire, limited himself to providing the students with elementary information about the submission and sending procedure. The fieldwork was carried out between March and June.
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
The questionnaire is divided into three thematic blocks, related to specific aspects that form part of TikTok's Covid-19 button (see Figure 1), located at the top right of the application. Thus, the measuring instrument is made up of the following sections: uses of TikTok, which includes questions on how users interact with this social network; users' perception of the "Protective measures" section, which includes a series of advertisements about the coronavirus; and analysis of the "Frequently asked questions" section, which contains informative resources.
Source: own elaboration based on TikTok
Uses of TikTok
In this section, we present a series of questions related to the consumption of this social network among students (see table 1), with the following answers:
|
Questions |
1 (MP) |
2 (P) |
3 (B) |
4 (M) |
|
Do you consider TikTok a reliable source for information on Covid-19? |
25,3% |
55,8% |
15,8% |
3,2% |
|
|
Yes |
No |
|
|
|
Do you consult official TikTok sources? |
15,8% |
84,2% |
|
|
|
Have you shared any TikTok resources related to Covid-19? |
16,8% |
83,2% |
|
|
|
Do you search for information about Covid-19 on TikTok? |
1,1% |
98,9% |
|
|
|
|
Yes |
No |
|
|
|
Have you seen Covid-related institutional advertisements on TikTok? |
53,7% |
46,3% |
|
|
|
Do you find Covid-19 related advertising on TikTok useful? |
16,8% |
43,2% |
31,6% |
8,4% |
Source: own elaboration based on TikTok
It can be seen that most of the users of this social network (Table 1) do not perceive TikTok as a reliable source for locating information related to Covid-19. These prosumers selected the option little or very little (81.1%) in relation to the question posed. At the same time, a significant proportion of these users (84.2%) do not regularly consult official sources, do not share resources on Covid-19 (83.2%) and do not use TikTok (98.9%) to locate information on the coronavirus. These preliminary data highlight the limited effectiveness of this social network in actively contributing to the fight against Covid-19. It should be noted that Spanish users spend an average of one hour and seven minutes a day consuming content on this platform and it is an ideal space for interacting with younger people (Iab, 2021).
In relation to the open-ended responses, users were asked if they shared resources on this social network related to the coronavirus. The following are some of their opinions:
"I have not shared any resources as I find information from hospitals, newspapers and other media much more reliable" (Student 64; A64).
"Occasionally I have shared a video where the COVID protocol or BOE publications were provided in summary form" (A68).
"This social network makes you forget about the pandemic and its consequences, so when I get a TikTok from Covid I ignore it because I don't want to know anything" (A70).
"Although I have been a user of the application for a few years, I have never gone to the Covid-19 section, in fact, I didn't even know it existed" (A77).
Regarding the institutional advertising broadcast on TikTok, 60% of respondents consider it of little use, compared to 40% who rate it favourably. These data may be relevant to the research, taking into account the profound rejection that advertising generates in a significant part of the population (Puromarketing, 28 October 2019), and it would be worth considering whether other social networks obtain the same levels of acceptance among young people, in order to identify which platforms are more effective as advertising support for the coronavirus.
In addition, user ratings (see Figure 2) are provided for the "Protective Measures" and "Questions and Answers" section of the Covid-19 button.
Source: own elaboration based on TikTok
User perception of the Protection Measures section
In this thematic block, respondents rated a series of items related to the section "Protection measures" that form part of the Covid-19 button. The following table (table 2) shows the responses obtained by users.
|
Questions |
1 (MP) |
2 (A) |
3 (B) |
4 (M) |
|
Design and aesthetics |
10,5% |
36,8% |
42,1% |
10,5% |
|
Adaptability of the content to the platform |
25,3% |
28,4% |
30,5% |
15,8% |
|
Frequency of consultation |
77,9% |
15,8% |
4,2% |
2,1% |
|
Truthfulness of the sources |
3,2% |
18,9% |
41,1% |
36,8% |
|
Usefulness of the content |
11,6% |
33,7% |
37,9% |
16,8% |
|
Readability of resources |
21,1% |
30,5% |
33,7% |
14,7% |
|
Up-to-date content |
16,8% |
27,4% |
33,7% |
22,1% |
|
|
Yes |
No |
|
|
|
Would you share this content? |
40% |
60% |
|
|
Source: own elaboration
In this section, it can be seen that a significant proportion of students (47.3%) do not rate the design and aesthetics of this section favourably, compared to 52.6% who do. This is relevant, as design is one of the most important factors involved in the success of a given mobile application (Ruiz; Polo, 2012). The following image (figure 3) shows what this part of the application looks like:
Source: own elaboration based on TikTok
In relation to content, 53% think that it is poorly or very poorly adapted to the social network. In addition, 51.6% chose to assign a low score to the item related to the readability of the content. The following infographic shows one of the resources (figure 4) of the application:
Source: TikTok
On the other hand, the frequency of consultation of this section is relatively low (93.7%) and 60% of these people would not be willing to disseminate these resources. However, 77.9% of students consider this to be a reliable source and 54.7% consider this content to be useful. Therefore, it is clear that there may be a relationship between the low use of this tool to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and the design and adaptation of the content to it.
On the other hand, users were asked what they thought about this section and what aspects they would improve. Here are some of their contributions:
"Visually, it is not very aesthetically pleasing as the font is small and there is little space between one paragraph and another as there is so much text. In addition, in some recommendations the content does not give the impression of being ordered and is a bit heavy. On the other hand, the use of different colours distracts a little the attention from the message to be transmitted. The logo to access this section seems small to me and goes unnoticed" (A22).
"The most unfavourable point of this section is the lack of adaptability of the content to the platform. TikTok is a social network of short videos, which clashes with the written information that appears in this section. I think it would have been more appropriate to make short videos, or even a challenge related to knowledge of health measures to prevent Covid-19. In addition, the information, although interesting and useful, does not invite to be read, and can become too long and heavy" (A28).
"I find it super interesting, but I think they are not very adapted to the platform" (A38).
"I think this section is very useful, no doubt about it, but I don't think it fulfils its communicative purpose. Personally I have never entered this section and I am sure that many people haven't either. In my opinion there is not much "advertising" of the existence of this button and section" (A41).
"I think it's great that TikTok offers a specialised section on the topic, as the target audience of this social network is very wide and varied" (A66).
"It should be adapted to the natural format of the application: short edited videos" (A94).
User perception of the Questions and Answers section
Finally, users have rated the section "Protection measures" (see figure 5) and the following responses have been obtained, as shown in table 3.
Source: own elaboration based on TikTok
|
Questions |
1 (NA) |
2 (PA) |
3 (BA) |
4 (CA) |
|
Design and aesthetics |
11,6% |
32,6% |
41,1% |
14,7% |
|
Adaptability of the content to the platform |
21,1% |
25,3% |
37,9% |
15,8% |
|
Frequency of consultation |
70,5% |
18,9% |
9,5% |
1,1% |
|
Truthfulness of the sources |
4,2% |
15,8% |
43,2% |
36,8% |
|
Usefulness of the contents |
14,7% |
21,1% |
47,4% |
16,8% |
|
Readability of resources (Covid-19 information) |
7,4% |
22,1% |
47,4% |
23,2% |
|
Updating of the contents |
9,5% |
31,6% |
41,1% |
17,9% |
|
|
Yes |
No |
|
|
|
Would you share this content? |
41,1% |
58,9% |
|
|
Source: own elaboration
In this section, the data are similar to those shown in table 2.
In relation to the design and aesthetics (see figure 5), 55.8% of young people rate the Q&A section positively, compared to 44.2% who consider it not very or not at all attractive. With regard to the adaptability of the content to the platform, just over half of those surveyed (53.5%) consider that it adapts to the characteristics of this social network, while 46.4% think that it does not.
Another interesting fact to analyse is the frequency of consultation. It is striking that almost 9 out of 10 students (89.4%) rarely or not at all access this section offered by TikTok's Covid-19 button. On the other hand, when asked about the veracity of the sources, 80% rated this aspect positively, considering that entities such as the Ministry of Health or the World Health Organisation (who complete the content of this section) comply with the guarantee of being a truthful issuer.
With regard to the content, the survey has yielded a number of interesting data. Regarding the usefulness of the content, 64.2% stated that it was quite or very useful, while just over a third (35.8%) considered that it was not. The readability of the resources is another aspect that 70.6% of teenagers consider to be correct, as well as the updating of the contents, with 59% giving a favourable rating.
Finally, students were asked whether they themselves would share the content of this Q&A section. Similar to the response obtained in the section Protection Measures, almost 6 out of 10 young people (58.9%) would not share this information through their profiles.
In order to know the opinion of the respondents about this section, questions related to the improvement of the application were asked. These were some of their contributions to the research:
"It is a section closer to the users as it is questions and answers therefore, it resembles a more direct contact. However, there is only one set of questions so the information is limited and users cannot post their own questions which does not cover all the questions someone may have about covid-19" (A9).
"I would improve the colours, add pictures, sound.... I think that an effective way would be for the official TikTok platform and account to publish videos in its format, i.e. entertaining short films with music commenting on the COVID-19 measures, and it would be a good option to use the main national and international TikTokers as the image of this COVID campaign, since when a well-known face from the platform appears on the main screen, it will encourage the user to continue watching it" (A17).
"As in the previous section, I think it would be more appropriate to make use of audiovisual resources, that is, to use the videos and the editing that the application allows you to run to disseminate this information. In fact, there is the possibility of making videos that serve as an answer to a question. In addition, something that I didn't like is that the answers given are very long, so you always have to click on the "expand" button, but then you can't go back to the section, which means you have to scroll down for an excessively long time. In short, I would change the design of the entire section to better adapt it to the design of the application" (A27).
"I would give more visibility to the Covid-19 button so that users have more interaction with this section of the application. Within the section, I would separate the audiovisual content much more from the infographics and frequently asked questions and give greater visibility to the sources, as these come directly from the Ministry of Health. On the other hand, it should be possible to zoom in on the different infographics for better readability" (A82).
"I like this section better than the previous one because it is visually better perceived and the questions and answers are easier to read" (A94).
CONCLUSIONS
Social media is proving to play an important role in the dissemination of content on issues of general interest. As a whole, they represent a direct communication channel that allows different health authorities to connect with their audience in an unambiguous way. These platforms can disseminate messages of a different nature with the aim of provoking a certain reaction in the recipient. For this reason, they are one of the most important assets in the coronavirus pandemic.
TikTok's Covid-19 button could be an important source of information to help the public stop the spread of the coronavirus, as users find the application's digital content on this topic very useful. However, the results have shown that the frequency of consultation is relatively low.
In the same way, many health institutions have difficulties in developing effective communication actions, whether informative or advertising, that provoke a change in the behaviour of the recipient. Each organisation must design the most appropriate method to connect with its audience according to its psychographic profile (Echazarreta, 2020). In the case analysed, it is necessary to consider how to improve accessibility to these resources of special interest in a context of global health crisis. It can be seen in the evaluations issued by the respondents that it is necessary to question the adaptation of these resources to the platform and the type of audience, following the recommendations consulted in the study ( ; De-las-Casas, 2020; Cancelo; Gadea, 2013) (Marcelino, 2015). Any discourse that aspires to consolidate itself must be appropriate to the nature and identity of each social network (Martín-Ramallal & Micaletto-Belda, 2021).
TikTok is committed to creating and disseminating ephemeral videos related to different topics. As a proposal for improvement, these native, advertising and informative contents could gain greater acceptance if they were more in line with the natural environment of the platform, with the aim of reinforcing or changing certain behaviours of people through the use of reason and emotions (Bassat, 2006; Cortés, 2009; Xifra, 2020); preventing and protecting them about events of public interest (Martínez, 2015).
For all of the above reasons, the research concludes that, in a crisis situation such as the one arising from Covid-19, the potential of this tool has not been fully exploited to leave a record of institutional messages of general interest. For this reason, it is recommended that in cases where it is necessary to disseminate assertive messages, they should be adapted to the digital ecosystem for which they are intended in order to achieve their goals, which is none other than to create collective awareness for the general good, in this case, health and social protection.
In future lines of research, it would be appropriate to analyse the functionality and ability to transmit messages to the population of other information tools used in the health management of coronavirus, such as networks like Instagram or Facebook, which have similar tools. On the other hand, it would be interesting to know how institutions, such as the Ministry of Health, use their official TikTok account to raise awareness of the effects of Covid-19. It would be possible to study, among other aspects: the level of interaction with followers, the effects generated by their messages or the type of content developed.