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Cited by 63Media and Digital CommunicationDigital Marketing and Social MediaTechnology Adoption and User Behaviour

Why Do People Return to Video Platforms? Millennials and Centennials on TikTok

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Cuesta-Valiño, Pedro, Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, Pablo, Durán-Álamo, Patricia·2022·Media and Communication
DOI 10.17645/mac.v10i1.4737
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Abstract

While some social networks like Facebook are losing interest among digital influencers, TikTok continues to grow, capturing and impacting centennials and millennials alike. This situation highlights the new generations’ increasing interest in short video formats, which are also becoming a new window of communication between companies and consumers. TikTok allows users to create, share, and discover short, user-generated videos in hopes of attracting viewers. But it is necessary to understand the variables that attract and engage users of these particular social networks. This article analyses the variables of continuance motivation, video sharing behaviour, and video creation capabilities, which allow users to enjoy such networks, and service providers and companies to obtain results from them. The aim is to understand how these variables motivate social media users to return to and spend more time on this video-sharing platform. This is measured through the stickiness variable. In this context—and due to the particular relevance of the topic—the authors also aim to reveal any potential differences in the behaviour of centennials and millennials when using TikTok. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was conducted through a questionnaire answered by 2,301 millennials and centennials who use TikTok. The data were analysed through a structural equation model to measure the relevance of each of the variables to stickiness. The results provide guidelines for improving research on video social media platforms, as well as an opportunity to explore the importance of the selected variables to the stickiness variable across different user segments.

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  • Uses and Gratifications Theory has proven relevant in the context of digital and social media, where users have a wide range of choices and a high level of control over the content they share and consume.

    “In the contemporary research environment, this theory has proven also relevant in the context of digital and social media, where users have a wide range of choices and a high level of control over the content they share and consume.”

    From Applying Uses and Gratifications Theory to TikTok: A systematic literature review of users' motivations (2025) · cites this paper as Cuesta-Valiño et al., 2022

  • Uses and Gratifications Theory has been widely applied as a framework for understanding factors which motivate users to select, use and engage with certain social media.

    “Thus, it has been widely applied as a framework for understanding factors which motivate users to select, use and engage with certain social media”

    From Applying Uses and Gratifications Theory to TikTok: A systematic literature review of users' motivations (2025) · cites this paper as Cuesta-Valiño et al., 2022

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Authors
Cuesta-Valiño, P., Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, P., & Durán-Álamo, P.
Affiliations
Universidad de Alcalá (ES)
ORCID
Venue
Media and Communication
Publisher
Cogitatio
Published
2022-01-20
Volume
10
Issue
1
ISSN
2183-2439 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.17645/mac.v10i1.4737
OpenAlex
W4205402135
Cited by
63
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 1
FWCI
6.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Media and Communication (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Social Science Open Access Repository (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences) (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Buleria (Universidad de León) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
Universidad de Alcalá
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Networks and Communications › Media and Digital Communication
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Marketing and Social Media
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Technology Adoption and User Behaviour
Keywords
TikTok, user stickiness, millennials, centenary, generational differences, short video platforms, user engagement, social networking sites

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