Does TikTok Shape the Communication Behavior of Emerging Human Capital? A PLS-SEM Analysis of For You Page Exposure among University Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62383/filosofi.v3i2.1103Keywords:
Communication Behavior, Digital Media, Emerging Human Capital, PLS-SEM, TikTokAbstract
This study examines whether exposure to TikTok's For You Page shapes the communication behavior of university students as emerging human capital. The study employed a quantitative explanatory design using a survey method involving 106 students from private universities in Depok City, Indonesia. Data were collected via an online questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4. The model tested the effect of TikTok For You Page exposure on students' communication behavior, including language style, self-expression, interaction patterns, communication responses, and digital communication practices. The results show that TikTok For You Page exposure did not significantly influence students' communication behavior, as indicated by a t-statistic of 0.974 and a p-value of 0.330. The R-square value of 0.146 indicates that TikTok exposure explained only 14.6% of the variance in communication behavior, while the remaining variance was influenced by other factors outside the model. These findings suggest that communication behavior is shaped not only by media exposure intensity but also by digital literacy, social environment, content type, and individual interpretation. The study contributes to current discussions in digital media and human capital research.
References
Barta, S., Belanche, D., Fernández, A., & Flavián, M. (2023). Influencer marketing on TikTok: The effectiveness of humor and followers’ hedonic experience. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 70, 103149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.103149
Bhandari, A., & Bimo, S. (2022). Why’s everyone on TikTok now? The algorithmized self and the future of self-making on social media. Social Media + Society, 8(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051221086241
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Dekker, C. A., Baumgartner, S. E., & Sumter, S. R. (2025). For you vs. for everyone: The effectiveness of algorithmic personalization in driving social media engagement. Telematics and Informatics, 101, 102300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2025.102300
Deng, T., Vargas-Bianchi, L., & Mensa, M. (2024). Cross-cultural comparison of TikTok uses and gratifications. Behaviour & Information Technology, 43(12), 3047–3059. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2023.2270534
Falgoust, G., Winterlind, E., Moon, P., Parker, A., Zinzow, H., & Madathil, K. C. (2022). Applying the uses and gratifications theory to identify motivational factors behind young adult’s participation in viral social media challenges on TikTok. Human Factors in Healthcare, 2, 100014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hfh.2022.100014
Gu, L., Gao, X., & Li, Y. (2022). What drives me to use TikTok: A latent profile analysis of users’ motives. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 992824. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.992824
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Kang, H., & Lou, C. (2022). AI agency vs. human agency: Understanding human–AI interactions on TikTok and their implications for user engagement. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 27(5), zmac014. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmac014
Lee, A. Y., Mieczkowski, H., Ellison, N. B., & Hancock, J. T. (2022). The algorithmic crystal: Conceptualizing the self through algorithmic personalization on TikTok. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 6(CSCW2), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1145/3555601
Montag, C., Yang, H., & Elhai, J. D. (2021). On the psychology of TikTok use: A first glimpse from empirical findings. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 641673. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.641673
Parry, D. A., Davidson, B. I., Sewall, C. J. R., Fisher, J. T., Mieczkowski, H., & Quintana, D. S. (2021). A systematic review and meta-analysis of discrepancies between logged and self-reported digital media use. Nature Human Behaviour, 5(11), 1535–1547. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01117-5
Qin, Y., Omar, B., & Musetti, A. (2022). The addiction behavior of short-form video app TikTok: The information quality and system quality perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 932805. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.932805
Rahimullah, N. A., Damayanti, S. B., Izra, A. A., & Handayani, P. W. (2022). Assessing the factors influencing users accessing higher education content on TikTok. Cogent Education, 9(1), 2148498. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2022.2148498
Scherr, S., & Wang, K. (2021). Explaining the success of social media with gratification niches: Motivations behind daytime, nighttime, and active use of TikTok in China. Computers in Human Behavior, 124, 106893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106893
Shafiq, M., & Parveen, K. (2023). Social media usage: Analyzing its effect on academic performance and engagement of higher education students. International Journal of Educational Development, 98, 102738. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2023.102738
Smith, E. E., & Storrs, H. (2023). Digital literacies, social media, and undergraduate learning: What do students think they need to know? International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20, 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00398-2
Taylor, S. H., & Chen, Y. A. (2024). The lonely algorithm problem: The relationship between algorithmic personalization and social connectedness on TikTok. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 29(5), zmae017. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmae017
Vaterlaus, J. M., & Winter, M. (2021). TikTok: An exploratory study of young adults’ uses and gratifications. The Social Science Journal, 60(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/03623319.2021.1969882
Yang, Y., Zhang, C., Zhang, S., & Shen, J. (2025). TikTok in higher education: A systematic review of disciplinary applications, learning outcomes, and implementation factors. Interactive Learning Environments, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2025.2564736
Zhu, J., Ma, Y., Xia, G., Salle, S. M., Huang, H., & Sannusi, S. N. (2024). Self-perception evolution among university student TikTok users: Evidence from China. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1217014. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1217014
Zsila, Á., Aruguete, M. S., Shabahang, R., Buvár, Á., & Orosz, G. (2025). Convergent and divergent predictors of extensive use time and problematic TikTok use. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 19(4), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2025-4-8
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Filosofi : Publikasi Ilmu Komunikasi, Desain, Seni Budaya
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
