Why do people love short-form videos? The motivations for using Chinese TikTok (Douyin) and implications for well-being

Short-form video SNS such as TikTok has gained popularity worldwide. However, there remains a limited understanding of why individuals watch and submit short videos on these platforms, as well as how the motives for short-form video SNS use relate to their well-being. To catch up with the development of SNS context, TikTok (Douyin), one of the most popular short-form videos SNS in China, was taken as an example to explore users’ motivation and well-being. Integrating the uses and gratifications theory with the in-depth interview (N = 238), the initial TikTok Use Motive Scale (including the TikTok Watching Motive Sub-Scale, and TikTok Shooting and Submitting Motive Sub-Scale) was developed firstly, and secondly exploratory factor analysis for watching (N = 2,263), and shooting and submitting (N = 3,217) short-form videos, and finally confirmatory factory analysis (N = 2,092). Six motives for watching (seeking novelty, habit, relationship maintenance, releasing pressure, killing time, and escapism) and three motives for shooting and submitting (pursuing fame, recording and sharing, and satisfying curiosity) short-form videos were identified. Moreover, the relationship between the TikTok use motives and well-being was explored, and the implications of the findings were discussed.