The influence of tikTok on news consumption of young people: a case study of Uganda Christian University students
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Date
2026-04-29
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Uganda Christian University
Abstract
Since the 2020 lockdown due to COVID-19, Tiktok has become the number one social media
platform and changed the purpose of social media. Apps like Facebook that prioritised
conversations with ‘friends’, Instagram that depended on one posting photos for their
followers, and YouTube that prided itself in having long form videos have had to adopt the
vertical, high tempo 60 second clips.
Due to people around the world being locked up at home, they resorted to the app (launched in
2016) to dance to new and old music. It has now advanced to more than just dance trends.
People now use it for story times, tutorials on various things, fashion, travel, and even news
consumption. It has even become a career path due to the rise of ‘influencers’ who get paid by
companies. However, the introduction of payment has led to the high rise of fake news,
misinformation, sensationalism and propaganda which all affect journalism.
This study uses open ended survey questions to find out whether students of Uganda Christian
University use TikTok as a news source, how they interpret the news they get, and if they are
not misled by fake news. It also seeks to find out whether journalism and communication
students understand that social media apps such as TikTok are taking over from old media and
if they are being taught to adopt to new media.
For the recommendations, it should be emphasized to current journalism and communication
students that social media as a method of disseminating news should be embraced and that by
them using it, they can be part of the solution to combat fake news.
Key words of the study: Tiktok, news consumption, fake news, Uganda Christian University
Description
Undergraduate