Posting Content
Behavior Engine 1: Make me an influencer
Cohort
Aspiration/Outcome:
An astonishing 57% of young adults have shown interest in becoming influencers. TikTok capitalizes on this aspiration, amplifying it with the proposition that influencer status can be achieved virtually overnight.
Key Behavior
The act of posting content, driven by the desire to reach a broader audience and attain influencer status, is inspired by observing the success of others.
Prompts
External Prompt (Conscious Behavior)
Initially, the behavior to post is encouraged by in-app UI prompts such as "Share your daily routine," setting the expectation that frequent posting is normative. As time progresses, the impetus to post is further fueled by FOMO and the success of seeing others garner large audiences.
Internal Prompt (Automatic Habit)
When the act of posting becomes habituated, driven by the subconscious link between posting and the dopamine rush of receiving thousands of views, a once deliberate behavior transitions into an automatic habit. Emotional triggers like feelings of loneliness, excitement, or the need for validation and status instinctively compel users to post, in pursuit of those dopamine surges.
Motivations
The motivations encompass expanding one's reach, securing social validation and recognition, expressing oneself, gaining monetary benefits, and connecting with others. The overarching aspiration for influencer status propels users to pursue these immediate motivations, further intensified by the dynamics of FOMO, loss aversion, and similar psychological effects.
Action
As noted, the process of posting or reposting content is streamlined to maximize entertainment value through a minimal set of actions and decisions, leveraging mental models from other social applications to minimize cognitive load for newcomers.
Reinforcing Rewards
Primary rewards, such as views, new followers, and likes, are dispensed at unpredictable intervals (Variable-Ratio schedule), reinforcing the behavior and motivating users to continue seeking rewards. Secondary rewards, including shares, comments, reposts, and messages, encourage unique and engaging post creation.
Retained Value
By enabling the creation of compelling posts with minimal effort, TikTok enhances users' investment in the app and their perception of its value. The growth of a follower base significantly bolsters this perceived value, making departure from TikTok more challenging as one's network and engagement expand.
Return prompts
External Prompt (Conscious Behavior)
For users not yet habituated, TikTok employs potent prompting mechanisms, like push notifications about reactions to their posts, to lure them back for another engagement cycle.
Internal Prompt (Automatic Habit)
For those who have developed a habitual use of TikTok, the impulse to check the app often stems from a mixture of anxiety and curiosity provoked by the unpredictability of rewards, compelling content creators to reflexively open the app to check for reach and interactions.
Questions:
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