What TikTok recommends to Australian audiences

Overview

TikTok is a highly personalised media platform where all user experiences are unique. However, while this is the case, in this project you will be using an innovative approach to establish a common "baseline" of the content that TikTok presents to its Australian audiences. The project combines communication studies and computer science and we are interested in students both with and without skills in data analytics.

Research engagement

In this project you will be collecting and coding data from the TikTok platform. You will analyse this data using both manual and computational methods, and make conclusion about the characteristics of the TikTok Australian baseline.

Research activities

The data collection and analysis is made using your own laptop and can be done both on and off campus. You will be part of a team at QUT and University of Sydney meeting on a weekly basis and working closely together.

Outcomes

Dataset that can be used to determine the "Australian TikTok baseline"; conclusions about the "Australian TikTok baseline"

Skills and experience

The ideal student for this project has a keen interest in digital culture and using computational methods to examine digital culture. While the interest is essential, we invite both students with and without skills in data analytics to apply. It is also a plus if you are actively using TikTok yourself.

Start date

4 November, 2024

End date

21 February, 2024

Location

QUT Kelvin Grove campus and remotely

Keywords

• TikTok
• Digital culture
• Recommender system
• Algorithm
• Social media

Contact

Prof Patrik Wikstrom

patrik.wikstrom@qut.edu.au