Publication Date

2024

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Yuan, Shupei S.

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Communication

Abstract

Background: TikTok has grown as the foremost platform for short-form videos in Cambodia, widely recognized for its entertainment and showing activities like dancing and singing. This study aims to explore the amount of political and civic content on TikTok, produced by general users, news outlets, or politicians, and examine its influence on Generation Z's online political participation and civic engagement. This research investigates how exposure to those contents affects these Gen Zs, specifically addressing two main questions: (1) "How does TikTok influence Gen Z's understanding and engagement in political and civic topics in Cambodia?" (2) “How does the level of education influence engagement with TikTok content consumption?”. Method: This qualitative research employs in-depth interviews with eleven participants from diverse socio-geographic backgrounds to explain and verify the research questions. The interviews are conducted online, with participants located in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Participants are selected from three distinct backgrounds: students from Angkor High School in Siem Reap, students from the American University of Phnom Penh, and general TikTok users, to ensure a broad range of perspectives on the impact of political content consumption on TikTok. This methodological approach aims to increase our understanding of how TikTok influences civic engagement and online political participation among Cambodia's Generation Z, along with the role of education in shaping these interactions. Result: The fear of government and the short form video are the main barriers that discourage users, specifically Gen Zs, from using this platform to consume political content. Participants indicated a preference for longer videos with reliable references for making decisions, particularly in political contexts. However, they were generally happy to discuss civic topics, highlighting their positive influence on their online behavior, even though this content is less common on TikTok. The study also underscores the importance of education for online engagement on platforms like TikTok. It showed that individuals' knowledge levels influence their consumption and creation of content, especially regarding political topics. The findings suggest that while TikTok currently does not significantly impact political activities, it has the potential to become a more influential platform for political discussion in the future as users seek more substantial and concrete content. Conclusion: The study suggests three main strategies to enhance the influence and presence of political and civic content on TikTok: raising awareness through education, producing more political or civic content, and encouraging participation in online discussions. These activities aim to increase both the quantity and the impact of political and civic engagement among users after consuming content on the platform.

Extent

67 pages

Language

en

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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Communication Commons

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