DOUYIN AND TIKTOK: A CROSS-LANGUAGE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP ON SISTER APPS

Abstract

Following the meteoric rise of TikTok in the global market and the dominance of Douyin in the Chinese market, this article maps academic scholarship focusing on Douyin and TikTok. Examining Chinese and English journal articles studying Douyin and TikTok, we address three research questions: Firstly, what are the disciplinary approaches and methodologies employed by researchers in studying Douyin and TikTok? Secondly, what are the foci of research questions put forth by researchers? Thirdly, how is the academic scholarship on these platforms developing independently? In terms of disciplinary leanings, Douyin publications tended to be published by scholars in the humanities and social sciences while TikTok and comparative publications demonstrated a broader scope of disciplinary leanings. Regarding methodology, Douyin publications tended to employ qualitative ones. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed approaches for TikTok publications were more balanced. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were observed in comparative publications. Data collection methods across publications included digital fieldwork, surveys, interviews, experiments, media texts, and ethnography; while data analyses included content, thematic, statistical, network, critical discourse, and descriptive forms of analyses. Regarding research questions, articles on Douyin tended to engage with e-commerce, the development of short form videos, and practices, cultures and communities. Articles on TikTok tended to engage with platform logics and governance concerns, fame, virality and influencers, and representation of events or information. Comparative publications tended to engage with platformization, expression of cultural differences, fan engagement strategies and factors underlying app usage. Finally, academic scholarship on Douyin and TikTok are largely based in independent geographic regions.