One-fifth of Taiwanese adults use TikTok or Douyin: Survey

Taipei, Jan. 19 (CNA) Over one-fifth of Taiwan's adult population used TikTok or Douyin at least once during a three-month period last year, according to a report released by the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA).

The 2024 Taiwan Internet Report produced by MODA's Taiwan Network Information Center found that 21.67 percent of Taiwanese adults used the Chinese social media platforms between March and June 2024, with 44.45 percent of those engaging with the apps daily.

The annually published report, however, also showed that the ByteDance-owned platforms were far less popular among Taiwanese users than market leaders Facebook and Instagram.

According to the survey data collected between June 19-29 last year, 44.44 percent of the Taiwanese respondents said Facebook was the social media platform they used most often, while 21.12 percent preferred Instagram.

TikTok and Douyin ranked third, with just 2.53 percent of respondents indicating they engaged with the ByteDance-owned platforms more than others.

Tao Chen-chao (陶振超), a representative from the survey's research team and a professor in the Department of Communication and Technology at Taiwan's National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, said the data collected last year showed social media users were continuing to migrate across platforms.

The "information circulation market" was becoming more fragmented, Tao explained, as Facebook's popularity declined and users were drawn to other, more niche social media platforms such as Threads.

However, the professor cautioned that although the survey was "comprehensive," the usage rate for TikTok and Douyin may have been underestimated in the findings.

This is because respondents may have underreported their engagement with the Beijing-based platform since they might have had reservations about telling the researchers that they used platforms that were seen as "tools used by China for propaganda."

Moreover, the survey only targeted people aged 18 or older, since the legal requirement of parental consent for surveying minors makes such an age group more costly and more difficult for researchers to access.

According to the 298-page report, younger people used TikTok and Douyin more than older people.

In the 18-29 age group, the ByteDance platforms saw the highest usage rate at 34.37 percent. Usage declined progressively in older age groups, with 27.77 percent in the 30-39 range, 23.37 percent in the 40-49 range, 20.19 percent in the 50-59 range, and 14.85 percent in the 60-69 range.