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International Journal of Media and Information Literacy
International Journal of Media and Information Literacy
★ Has been issued since 2016.
E-ISSN: 2500-106X 2021, 6(1): 77-87
DOI: 10.13187/ijmil.2021.1.77 www. ej ournal4 6.com
Investigating the Effect of TikTok App on the Transmission of Cultural Values in Algeria: A Case Study of Algerian Youngsters
Anfal Khadidja Dekhil a, Hanane Sarnou a , *
a Abdelhamid Ibn Badis University, Mostaganem, DSPM Research laboratory (Laboratoire dimensions socio-pragmatique et pragma linguistique dans les manuels scolaires de langues etrangères en Algérie), Algeria
The current study revolves around the use of TikTok application by Algerian teenagers, highlighting its specific type of communication (nonverbal communication) that has significant effects on the transmission and communication of cultural values among generations, as it leads further to unequal online practices and behaviours. In this insight, at first, we established the link between the historical evolution of language in TikTok as a modern social media platform and its hidden effects on Algerian teenagers' cultural values. We attempted to make its users aware of the behaviours and habits decline in their cultural values and how it could influence them unconsciously. To reach our goal, we conducted the research study with 116 Algerian teenagers to confirm or nullify our hypotheses; and to collect the appropriate data we employed an ethnographic research method using online observation and online questionnaire as research tools. The results indicated that the nonverbal language used in TikTok application is a weak tool for communication. It has disturbed the flow of the local cultural values among adolescents because TikTok is enabling its users to create their content which is a factor that contributes to losing their cultural values and traditional standards by sharing useless and funny content.
Keywords: cultural values, nonverbal communication, TikTok platform, wrong behaviours.
1. Introduction
The increasing popularity of social media has become the hallmark of modern human societies, especially among teenagers who find themselves addicted in front of imported technology that responds to their age needs. However, it has a profound impact on social systems starting from language since it is the basic human and social need. In this view, the issue of modern technologies has become linked to many social factors, particularly, language and culture, because of their intimate relationship that will affect later on the transmission of cultural values. This technological revolution is the main factor that has shifted borders and distances; to this end, the fusion of languages and cultures despite their diversity. It affects the social and cultural stability of the countries of the East, in particular the conservative ones. It is a Western product that represents a Western way of life which contradicts the values and customs of traditional Arab societies, including Algeria, which still has traditional characteristics present in the country in the light of modernity and modern technologies.
Social media use has augmented considerably in Algeria and has changed all social aspects. In the light of these changes taking place in Algeria, it is significant to continue the path of previous
* Corresponding author
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (A.K. Dekhil), [email protected] (H. Sarnou)
Abstract
researches in the field of social media studies and to join the group discussion on the subject of "the effects of social media on languages and cultural values". Therefore, this contribution takes influence from the newest and most popular type of social media, TikTok, and its frequent use of non-verbal communication on cultural values because language (spoken or written) was an obstacle in all previous social media platforms (Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Viber, Whatsapp, etc.) It was not possible to establish contacts between people of different languages, and socio-cultural backgrounds only if they knew the language. Therefore, its consequences were implicit; this is not the case with the TikTok app which relies more on gestures and facial expressions which are performed online and uses it as an alternate language that almost anyone can understand regardless of mother tongue or social affiliation. As a result, this nonverbal language that most TikTok handlers are relying on is creating openness for its users which leads indirectly to a rebellious behaviour on the social system, culture and values that regulate the comportment of teenagers. Additionally, it yields to the abandonment of the original cultural values and the adoption of new ones under the umbrella of freedom and progress because this particular type of communication that is regarded as a principle code among TikTok users carries foreign behaviours and attitudes which will influence the social system that we seek to preserve and construct it not the opposite. Hereafter, the nonverbal language used in TikTok may have the potential in influencing the diffusion of cultural values and social ties of Algerian teenagers.
TikTok's widespread app is different from other apps because users create their content with non-verbal language, facial expressions, gestures, signs and imitations, which are universal and bring together followers from different linguistic backgrounds. They express their ideas and emotions better than the old social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Viber, Whatsapp) which relied more on written communication or sharing of ready written messages with limited recipients.
In the same vein, we are currently studying how Algerian adolescents play a more active role in the TikTok application, which has an impact first on language as the basic medium of human interaction, then on the transmission of Algerian cultural values. Henceforth, this study aims to link the shared nonverbal communication and its implication in disturbing the diffusion of local cultural values due to the incorporation of observed cultural values into the inappropriate behaviours of Algerian teenagers. In this regard, we formulate the following research questions:
1. How can Algerian teenagers convey messages using nonverbal communication and facial expressions in the TikTok platform?
2. To which extent does the nonverbal communication of TikTok application affect the diffusion of cultural values among Algerian teenagers?
Based on these questions, we put forward the following hypotheses:
Language is the primary tool of human communication; it carries and conveys social messages. However, languages are not the same, the fact that hinders the communication process between nations and cultures, especially in the virtual space where it is mandatory to write or speak. TikTok application has facilitated this process and has reduced the time by sharing short videos containing a nonverbal language to communicate easier than before and combine cultures.
TikTok app, with its diversity, is misused by Algerian adolescents and has meaningless content as it broadcasts inappropriate behaviours and opens doors to undesirable social and cultural changes that affect the suitable spread of indigenous cultural values, that is why it has a negative impact which deserves to fight.
2. Materials and methods
The key materials for this study were the growing use and the shared content of TikTok app among Algerian adolescents who rely more on non-verbal communication and body movements, highlighting its impact on the dissemination of cultural values and indulgent habits as it emerges as a formidable network space. Based on the nature of our study, we selected the netnographic research method because we seek to examine the behaviour of teenagers in an online community which is TikTok. Netnography is regarded as the most preeminent online researches to access the community members' knowledge online, which in turn helps to provide in-depth insights about consumers (Kozinet, 2015). According to (Kozinet, 2010: 12), online communities form or manifest cultures, the learned beliefs, values, and customs that serve to order, guide and direct the behaviour of a particular society or group. Hence, netnography refers to the number of related online methods that adapt to the study of communities and cultures created through computermediated social interaction (Bowler, 2010).
We purposefully selected a representative research sample of 116 participants based on the characteristics of youths who serve the objectives of the study. To this end, Algerian teenagers aged between 13 and 24 years were selected to obtain accurate and appropriate results. The selected participants are familiar with TikTok; they use the application more and have integrated it into their daily life. In addition, they have shifted from the stage of media audiences to media producers. To conduct this study, we used an online observation and online questionnaire tools to cover almost all regions of the country and enrich the subject in terms of linguistic and cultural differences between Algerian youths. These tools were used intentionally to be close to our participants, then to gather as much relevant information as possible to ensure the accuracy and objectivity of the results obtained.
After observing the widespread dissemination of the TikTok application among Algerian adolescents who have shared many videos on the Internet far from the values and culture of the society, we decided to investigate the misuse of this last application because we believe that this is an original subject, in the Algerian context. It will be a new contribution to the field of social sciences and new technologies. Thus, the starting point of this study was the online observation, where we tried to relate the content of the application, the language of the interaction, the social norms and the restrictions of Algeria as a society classic and conservative. Next, we designed the survey as a primary tool that provided us with quantitative data, opinions, and perceptions of various TikTok users. However, since it was shared online, we have encountered respondent procrastination or evasion. For this reason, we have used the snowball or rope technique by sending the online survey to people we know and asking them to help us and sharing it again with other people they know. Then, we analyzed and interpreted the data obtained to arrive at a general conclusion for this study.
To go deeply trough this context, we used online observation as the primary data to observe how TikTok application is used by Algerian teenagers. It includes listening and interpreting what people are saying or otherwise conveying (Rappaport, 2010). It can be defined, as finding out what is expressed online (Divol et al, 2012). Online observation was the first motivation for conducting this study. It was a tool used by researchers as individuals belonging to the same community and have noticed the same phenomenon (TikTok). In this investigation, we tried to cover and focus on the behaviour of Algerian youngsters regarding their access to the virtual world and the extensive and ridiculous use of TikTok through nonverbal communication in the sake of conveying codes and messages to those of similar age. Henceforth, we employed an online observation to examine the nonverbal interaction, the behaviour of Algerian youths, and the content shared among them on TikTok platform to collect data about the current topic.
TikTok application is designed for teens to create short videos containing nonverbal communication, symbols and signs with ambiguous meanings. Throughout our experience, we observed teenage interacting in TikTok using gestures and facial expressions, thinking that it is a powerful tool of communication world-wide.
Amid this media influx and the TikTok application, Algerian teenagers are no longer satisfied with receiving multimedia content; they have become enthusiastic about this media experience, and have become creators of their content. Hence, the particular use of TikTok application has the potential of updating cultural values.
TikTok is one of the sites that spread widely among Algerian adolescents since its introduction. They posted videos on different songs supported by nonverbal communication and signs that do not belong to their home culture and which are prohibited. TikTok application and its content circulating among young people are among the main factors in the process of influencing the value system of Algerian teenagers.
Furthermore, we noticed that the content shared between Algerian teenage contains immoral behaviour by marginalizing cultural values; one of its symbols is attitudes and behaviour. We have observed that teens do not interact and only exchange content via the TikTok app, but they are engaging in inappropriate online behaviours because the app itself works to lose their consciousness; they have become addicted. Also, the TikTok application contains empty and useless content because it involves misbehaviours that do not correspond to the values of the community. To sum up, we have observed that the interaction in TikTok is no longer private; it is shared online and accessible for everyone to view; this is not the case with other social media applications. It summed up everything that previous apps have brought. Therefore, it has become
the main factor that negatively influences the dissemination of original classical cultural values among Algerian adolescents.
3. Discussion
The technological revolution or social media with its different types are undoubtedly the twenty-first-century drivers, namely social, cultural and educational ones (Lawaheth, Hussein, 2016). Social media denotes the platforms where all digital users with internet access can share content, express opinions about diverse topics, and where communication and interaction process intensely take place without any time or place limitation (Ugyr, Gunduz, 2017). It highly is used for communication, information, entertainment and education. To this end, individuals and world communities are connected due to digital media that has renewed the lifestyle (Ghulam, Abdul,
2018). TikTok application is one of the recent social media platforms for creating and sharing short entertaining videos. It has attracted the millions of users who have integrated it in their daily practices and posted videos on different songs illustrated by nonverbal signs. Its main objective was to find glory and have fun with friends. In this regard, TikTok application is related with users' gratification theory which seeks to achieve precise goals through a careful choice of a particular type of media or content that satisfies given needs and allow users to enhance knowledge, relaxation and social interaction. It assumes that audiences are not passive consumers; rather they have power over other media consumptions and adopt an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives (Jafar, Pegah, 2016).
Along the same lines, the main reason for the accomplishment of TikTok is the ability to find people who have common interests with teenagers, and who can connect and share content with them. Therefore, social media in general and TikTok application, in particular, have resulted in the migration process of individuals to a virtual space that provides their needs, therefore, contributing to the transformation of the existing culture into a virtual culture. Consequently, social media interrupts the continuity of the roles of individuals in preserving the existing traditional cultural values (Borivoje et al, 2018) because they guide and direct humans' behaviours. Additionally, (Khatib et al, 2016) have mentioned that the values and customs of the country we grow up in shape how we think to a certain extent; virtual sphere users' thoughts are not controlled because this setting is free of social restrictions.
Therefore, users' thoughts are expressed through verbal, written or nonverbal language; it depends on the application and its type of interaction. Regarding the current paper, we shed light on the nonverbal language that is extensively used in TikTok application because it is wide-reaching and less time consuming to perform different subjects, desires and aims. This particular type of communication shows the evolution of language in social media, starting from the earlier applications that relied more on written messages. Hence, the application is considered as a shift in the history of social media (from written "Facebook, Viber, Whatsapp and Instagram" to verbal "Youtube", then to nonverbal communication "TikTok"). However, sometimes this nonverbal communication is hard to be interpreted to comprehend the intended idea and leads to misapprehensions because the language provides people with the supporting tools to express and communicate thoughts daily (Kadri, 2019). Language is a social product, and for this reason, it is, strongly, combined with culture and its transmission among generations that belong to the same speech community.
Additionally, it is generally agreed that language and culture are closely related. Language can be viewed as a verbal expression of culture. It is used to maintain and convey culture and cultural ties. The language provides us with many of the categories we use for the expression of our thoughts (Khatib et al, 2016). In this regard, language researchers and linguists have agreed that language and culture are related and affect each other in many ways; they have a very complex and homogenous relationship that makes them inseparable. Language is, complexly, interwoven with culture; they have evolved together and have influenced one another in a long and endless human development process. The result of this associated complexity, evolution, and influence is that language and culture protect each other in such a way that is impossible to separate them (Kadri,
2019). To sum up, the emergence of TikTok application and its actual nonverbal interaction type has produced a global cultural communication.
In this line, young Algerian users have changed their speech and behaviour because they were influenced by TikTok application, which carries Western foreign values, behaviours, ideas and customs that differ from the Algerian thoughts and traditions. It has created a fear of new attitudes
of users which affect the cultural values of the nation, and this can be observed by the abandonment of traditional values and the adoption of new models, under the umbrella of development and change. Hence, it becomes an issue for a society that hinders the transmission of local conservative and traditional cultural values, for the reason that young Algerian users lose the ability of management and control; they seek to liberate themselves from all kinds of constraints through joining TikTok.
4. Results
To carry out this research and due to the nature of the subject, we selected an online questionnaire using the snowball technique to cover a relatively wide range and to collect the possible number of data about a varied sample. In view to the educational level of respondents, we adopted auto-administrated questionnaire, which comprises two categories: direct and simple questions followed by some multiple-choice questions due to the limited English level of most respondents. The questionnaire contained ten questions in addition to two other questions about respondents' age and gender. It was divided into three sections: respondents' general information, the language used in TikTok application and the impact of the nonverbal language on the transmission of cultural values; each section had a particular objective to achieve. Concerning the first section, we aimed to know which age group and gender use the application more. As for the second section, we have tried to cover the nonverbal language used in TikTok application, whether it is understandable and expressive or not. Finally, the third section undertakes the influence of the nonverbal language on the diffusion of cultural values.
Among the questions we have asked our participants about the use of TikTok application by Algerian teenagers and their attitudes, we have chosen to analyse the following questions and statements to discuss and draw general conclusions to the present study.
Section one: Respondents' general information
Table 1. The dispersion of participants according to age
Age From 13 to 16 From 16 to 20 From 20to 24
Percentage (100 %) 8.9 % 73.2 % 17.9 %
Table 1 shows a high percentage of 73.2 % from the total number of respondents aged, between 16 and 20 years use TikTok application. 17.9 % of them are aged between 20 and 24 years, and only 8.9 % have between 13 and 16 years old.
Table 2. The dispersion of participants according to gender
Gender Male Female
Percentage (100 %) 24.6 % 75-4 %
Table 2 reveals that Algerian female teenagers use TikTok application more than males; females represent 75.4 %; however, males represent only 24.6 %. It means that most TikTok users are females, and this is due to the absolute freedom they found in this virtual platform as appose to the restricting values of the society.
Table 3. The distribution of the level of involvement in TikTok application
How much are you currently involved in TikTok application Considerably involved Extremely involved Less involved
Percentage (100 %) 63.3 % 23.3 % 13.3 %
As the question we asked our participants about their involvement in TikTok application, table three demonstrates that the large proportion of participants in this research are considerably involved in TikTok application, they denote 63.3 %. 23.3 % of them are extremely involved, and 13.3 % are less involved. If we relate this table with the first one, we can deduce that those who are extremely involved and considerably involved are those aged between 16 and 20 years.
Section two: The language used in TikTok application Question one: why do you use TikTok application?
Fig. 1. The aim of using TikTok application
This figure gives information about the aim behind using TikTok application by Algerian teenagers. Overall, the majority of Algerian teenagers use TikTok application because they find it an enjoyable tool, exactly about 68.4 %. On the other hand, only a minority (7.8 %) use it to escape from social and academic pressures. Additionally, this minority has found TikTok as a source of gratification to escape from some social complications, such as divorce, unemployment, and school failure, this has led to using the application negatively without taking into account that it has supplementary undesirable social consequences, the most of which, is interrupting the flow of the local cultural values since TikTok is easily reached by everyone because they are unable to fully express their ideas via writing. Additionally, they are no more caring about the quality of their posts as they are caring about sharing meaningless and funny content without prior thinking or any goal; they are spreading mediocrity with a nonverbal language. 21.1 % of Algerian teenagers are affected by their existed posts and content.
Question two: Do you understand the nonverbal language of most TikTok videos?
Fig. 2. Understanding the nonverbal communication of TikTok videos
Figure 2 is about the nonverbal language used by TikTok handlers, whether it is clear and easily understood by everyone or not. It demonstrates that most participants (39.3 %) understand the nonverbal language used in TikTok application. However, 28.6 % of them cannot decode the nonverbal signs, and 32.1 % of users understand it to a certain extent. It means that they make efforts to get the intended meaning because it is a new language used in a recent social media platform and the process of acquiring and understanding it takes time.
Question three: When you share a video on TikTok, do you feel that you are messaging other users and followers?
38% The tran smi 62% ssion of messages via TikTok videos
yes no
Fig. 3. The transmission of messages via TikTok videos
Figure 3 displays that 38 % of participants feel that they are messaging when sharing TikTok videos with gestures and facial expressions. Nonetheless, the large fraction of contributors in this research (62 %) affirms that they are not transmitting messages; they are using the application without any communicational purpose.
Question four: according to you, is the type of communication (gestures, facial expressions and body movements) used in TikTok application a kind of self-demonstration and self-validation or to keep pace with language development?
Fig. 4. The objective of using the nonverbal language
The above figure is related to either the nonverbal language is a kind of self-demonstration and self-validation, or it is to keep pace with language development. It demonstrates around 65.4 % and 34.6 % respectively.
Section three: TikTok application and its impact on the transmission of cultural values
Question five: is nonverbal communication a powerful or weak tool in transmitting the cultural values among Algerian teenagers?
The transmission of cultural va
language
Fig. 5. The transmission of the cultural values by the nonverbal language
Figure 5 is about whether the nonverbal language is a powerful type of communication in spreading the cultural values among Algerian teenagers or a weak one? It represents that the highest segment, accurately about 53.1 % see that it is deficient in transmitting the local cultural values to teenagers because they know that they are far away from the appropriate attitudes and behaviours in the society. However, 46.9 % of participants see the opposite due to the time they spend on the app integrating it into their daily activities; this means that they become aware of this new type of communication and have no difficulty in transmitting or receiving cultural values verbally or not.
Question six: in your opinion, does TikTok application have a positive or negative impact on the Algerian teenagers' thoughts and behaviours?
Fig. 6. The impact of TikTok application on the thoughts of Algerian teenagers
Figure 6 demonstrates that the large proportion of participants (78.9 %) see that the TikTok application troubles the thoughts of Algerian teenagers. However, 5.3 % have noticed that it has a positive impact, and 15.8 % had a neutral point of view.
Question seven: do you think that sharing videos online by Algerian teenagers contributes to changing the original cultural values?
The impact of TikTok application on the thoughts of Algerian teenagers
78,90%
0,3°/0
positive impact negative impact
■15,80%
neutral
The contribution of TikTok vi
cultural valu
35,10%
26,30%
Fig. 7. The contribution of TikTok videos in changing the cultural values
Figure 7 is about the contribution of Algerian teenagers on changing their original cultural values through sharing their videos on the TikTok platform, 35.1 % of participants agreed and 26.3 % strongly agreed. However, 14 % disagreed and 5.3 % strongly disagreed. The remaining percentage (19.3 %) neither agreed nor disagreed.
Question eight: do you agree that the content of TikTok videos is influencing negatively Algerian teenagers' preservation of cultural values?
Fig. 8. The influence of TikTok videos on the preservation of cultural values
Figure 8 indicates that 78.9 % of the members participating in this research approved that the content of TikTok videos is influencing the preservation of cultural values. By contrast, a minority, exactly about 8.8 % disagreed and 12.3 % were neutral.
Over this research study and the instruments used to collect the most amount of information from TikTok users, we reached a set of results are summarized along these lines:
TikTok is regarded as a broad virtual field that has invaded the minds of teenagers, particularly those aged between 16 and 20 years and mainly females, thinking that it is an enjoyable tool. Additionally, they appreciate its quality and admire its content because it is different than the other applications in terms of interaction. Hence, it has provided different models of vision and virtual rituals far from the restricted guidelines of heritage and cultural determinants because Algerian adolescents have posted videos on different songs supported by nonverbal communication and signs that do not belong to their home culture and which are prohibited.
To sum up, TikTok application and its content circulating among young people are among the main reasons in the process of influencing the value system of Algerian teenagers; which led to overwhelming and unsatisfactory social results among them the interruption of the delivery of cultural values between Algerian youngsters.
5. Conclusion
In this research study, we attempted to examine a phenomenon that shows the language development in social media and the causes of social change, with focus on the cultural values of Algerian adolescents, who represent the majority of society and the most used part. They are influenced by its content, which in turn helped create new patterns and behaviours that reflect what came from another culture. As a result, this created a kind of debate about local cultural values.
Initially, nonverbal communication was created by TikTok users to accommodate and make speech comprehensible in short instants, thinking that communication is no longer difficult as it was. TikTok handlers around the world have created a language in common to be able to launch their ideas, thoughts, and even talents in an informal way that facilitates the communication process with a broad and large population. As appose to the other social media platforms in which the virtual interaction was via writing messages and status on their profiles or commenting. The writings must be well structured and arranged so that the delivered ideas can be understandable by the receivers; this writing process takes time. Otherwise, they record with limited audiences. Hence, the communication was neither easy nor accessible; in other words, the language was an obstacle for most social media users, particularly in writing, because it is more formal. Despite these communication barriers, cultural values have been maintained. However, the emergence of TikTok and non-verbal interaction has given way to misunderstanding because it contains signs
and gestures that conflict with local cultural values and disrupt the transmission of fair and appropriate values. After all, they do not only interact inappropriately. Verbal approach, but they overreach limits by showing inappropriate behaviours.
To conclude, through the final results of the current study, we confirmed the research hypotheses of why non-verbal language led to the weak transmission of values and morals among adolescents. They have neither reached intelligibility using this new variety as a principal tool for communication in this virtual platform nor preserved their original cultural values.
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Appendix
Online questionnaire
This questionnaire investigated the impact of TikTok application on Algerian teenagers' cultural values and users' attitudes towards this application. We will be pleased if you help us appropriate responses to our suggested questions. Your answers will be kept strictly confidential and will be used for academic purposes.
Section one: The use of TikTok by Algerian teenagers
Age: From 13 to 16 years. From 16 to 20 years. From 20 years to 24 years.
Gender: Male. Female
Question 1: How much are you currently involved in the TikTok application? Considerably involved extremely involved less involved Section two: The Language Used in TikTok Application Question 2: Why do you use the TikTok application?
Affected by its existing content.
To escape from social and academic pressures.
An enjoyable tool.
Question 3: Do you understand the nonverbal communication of most TikTok videos?
Yes No Somehow
Question 4: When you share a video on TikTok, do you feel that you are messaging other users and followers?
Yes No
Question 5: Do you see that gestures and nonverbal communication are sufficient to communicate your thoughts and express your feelings?
Yes No
Question 6: According to you, is the type of communication found in TikTok application (gestures, body movements and facial expressions) kind of self-demonstration and self-validation or to keep pace with language development?
Section three: TikTok Application and Cultural Values
Question 7: Is the nonverbal communication a powerful or week tool in transmitting the local cultural values among teenagers?
Powerful tool Weak tool
Question 8: In your opinion, does TikTok application have a positive or negative impact on the Algerian teenagers' thoughts and behaviours?
Agree Disagree Neutral
Question 09: Do you think that sharing videos online by Algerian teenagers contributes to changing the original cultural values?
Agree Strongly agree Disagree Strongly disagree Neutral
Question 10: Do you agree that the content of TikTok videos is influencing negatively Algerian teenagers' preservation of cultural values?
Agree Disagree Neutral
