ABSTRACT
The proliferation of short video sharing mobile applications like Douyin and Kuaishou in China has led to new forms of entertainment and information sharing practices. Even the huge live streaming industry in China has been influenced by these popular video sharing mobile applications, because some people are drawn away from watching live streams to watching short videos. However, little research has looked into why and how people use Douyin, what engages users, and what concerns and negative experiences users have with Douyin. Through interviews with 28 regular Douyin users, we identify several unique motivations of using Douyin compared to other social media, reveal several different categories of content that engaged them, and present several challenges and concerns they have when using Douyin. We show that people use Douyin not only for entertainment, but also for keeping up with “fashion” and for informational and practical needs. We situate our findings with prior research on social media use in China, and provide design implications for future video-based social media.
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