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You have probably heard of the platform for addictive short videos that has taken over social media by engaging a billion users. TikTok was released in 2016 and since then it has become the fastest growing social media platform in the world , with over 1 billion monthly active users. 96% of TikTok’s audience consists of consumers from the age of 13-23, making it the perfect platform for education to reach learners.
In the post-Covid world virtual education is already widely used and appreciated by students, 75% of students hope to continue using aspects of virtual learning going forward.
Not only does TikTok reach the target market it has been proven that microlearning; learning in short durations, can be 17% more effective than the traditional style.
TikTok introduced #LearnOnTikTok in May 2020 and a $50 million-dollar creative learning fund to address the growing demand of educational content on the app. The #LearnOnTikTok campaign involved 800 influencers, media publishers, educational organisations, and field experts to produce content of a wide range of topics for watchers to learn from.
The app considers educational content fun and entertaining like their other categories of videos. Educational videos are therefore integrated into the 'For You Page' to enhance the overall TikTok experience. The hashtag has been successful in gaining over 282.8 billion views as well as Maths videos reaching over 30 million views!
Universities and schools have a great opportunity to teach virtually and further engage their students by utilising TikTok’s success in combining education and entertainment.
TikTok could be incorporated into the classroom as a learning tool in many ways:
A study involving a group of university students considered the use of TikTok as an educational innovation. The research suggested that the app offers an excellent pedagogical platform as students are incorporating their entertainment interests into their education. The results indicated that incorporating TikTok into learning creates a more engaging learning environment, increases students sense of motivation, and assists the advancement of skills including creativity.
Educational institutions can use TikTok as a marketing tool to promote themselves to students to increase recruitment and create a sense of community.
The platform has been a successful marketing tool for many universities with institutions such as Harvard College getting involved. Harvard College have almost 19,000 likes on their page and posts content from “what I eat in the day” videos to sport society videos.
One running series, posted on their account, is asking the college’s dean random questions, all in different areas of the campus. This series not only promotes the campus grounds and facilities but also shows a leader of the college in an interpersonal setting. Data shows that this can make consumers feel 70% more connected to the college as it creates a sense that the organisation is run by ‘real’ people.
As education and the way we learn is constantly evolving new platforms such as TikTok will be an efficient and engaging tool to keep up with the changing demands.
Here at hecom we are interested in the future of education.