TIKTOK POSTS

POST 1: THE LIFECYCLE OF THE SUN


ANALYSIS OF ENGAGEMENT


The post’s performance was mediocre. It garnered six views, two likes, and one comment. Most of this engagement happened within the first day.

This was the first TikTok our group made. It used a number of strategies we identified in the literature. Although the proprietary TikTok algorithm used to share videos with users is understudied (Matsakis, 2020), it is clear enough that the algorithm uses hashtags. So we used the same hashtag and keyword strategy outlined by Pavlov et al. (2018) for Twitter, which operates similarly.

However, our group also made a few poor production choices. The short video itself featured multiple components, including a voiceover, a demonstration, and inserted video clips, which may have been overwhelming in a two-minute video. Because we did not have any professional-grade recording equipment, the audio quality between these components differed greatly.



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How will The Sun die? by Tahmeed Shafiq
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POST 2: THE SCIENCE OF ANT-MAN


@wetalk_physics Is there a real scientific explanation to Ant-Man's superpowers?

ANALYSIS OF ENGAGEMENT


The second TikTok performed significantly better than the first. It garnered 126 views, eight likes, and zero comments.

Following our first TikTok’s performance, we decided to create a video that was less ‘overproduced.’ We kept using hashtags and keywords following advice from Pavlov et al. (2018) but avoided demonstrations and voiceovers. This may have contributed to the improved engagement as the exposition was easier to follow. Additionally, we used the same hashtags associated with superhero movies as many other popular videos on the platform, including those made by fans.

The growth may have come from the use of a familiar film franchise to create a ‘cool factor’ and the growing societal interest in the science behind familiar phenomena, which Zeng et al. (2021) call “nerdy is the new trendy.”



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The Science behind Ant-Man by Tahmeed Shafiq
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POST 3: WHY THINGS NEVER ACTUALLY TOUCH


ANALYSIS OF ENGAGEMENT


The final TikTok had significantly greater engagement than either of the previous posts. It garnered 1621 views, 106 likes, and two comments. Nearly all of this engagement occurred within the first day of posting. Afterwards, engagement metrics plateaued.

We attribute this success to a refinement of the strategy used in the second post. Our topic also had a ‘cool factor’ and the minimalistic production, which used only voiceover narration, made the video easy to follow. The significant growth between the second and third post may have come from our thumbnail. We used a bright green photograph of a gecko. Both the bright colour and animal photograph may have attracted users.



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Why things never really touch by Tahmeed Shafiq
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