Description
THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE CHOSE IS TIKTOK
investigate each of the six different areas Van Dijck mentions in her chapter: ownership, technology, governance, users/usage, content, and business model (attached).
You will need to do some research to complete this part ofthe project. The sources that you use should be of high quality, credible, and current (especially for market information and usage statistics). You will want to have a mix of sources, including academic research, high quality news reports, and statistical sources such as Alexa and Pew Research for each section of your analysis. A strong analysis will use a minimum of three to four sources for each section. Be sure to cite your sources in your analysis! as
The statistics that you quote on the demographics of your platforms user base need to be reliable and relatively recent. Be sure to consult Pew Research and Statista, as these are highly regarded sources–the same cannot always be said of random sites that you find on Google.
Information on the platforms governance structure will likely be found on the platforms website, in its Terms of Service, and in its Privacy Policy. Be sure to also search credible news sources for information on recent controversies and policy changes.
Organize your presentation by the topics that van Dijck utilizes, and reference her book for a greater description of each of these areas and what aspects of the platform they concern. Below are some prompts for you to address in each section. Use these as starting points for your writing and be sure to include other relevant information that you discover through your research.
Users/usage: Who uses the platform and how many users do they have? What geographic concentrations are in the user base? How does the platform define active users? Is there a significant discrepancy between users and active users of the platform? Provide demographics of the user base andinformation on how the platform is used (be sure to look in the about pages of the company website and/or on Alexa.com). How do users present themselves on the platform (through profile pages, etc.)? Are their different ways to present the user, depending on type (for example, how are individuals/organizations or amateurs/professionals differentiated)? Is anonymity permitted? How is identity verified?
Content: What kind of content is supported on the site and who generates it? What do users share with one another? How do users signal content for others to find? What limitations are there on the content in terms of time (for example, YouTube videos) or length (for example, tweets)? Where is the content hosted? Where else is it shared? How do you search for content on the platform?
Ownership: What is the general history of the platforms creation? Who owns it? What other properties does the platform owner invest in (if applicable)? How do these other properties integrate with the platform? How does this platform compare to other platforms in its class (for example, if youre analyzing YouTube, how does it compare to other video sharing sites)? Why is the ownership structure of this platform important/distinct/unusual?