TikTok is the most popular app among youth, and students are a huge part of its users. People share their stories, fun moments, discoveries and tips. As studying is one of the most important parts of students’ lives, there are really lots of videos about it. Some people ask questions and others have answers and their own life hacks for them.
But what exactly bothers students who go to Tik Tok for studying tips? We tried to find out.
Methodology
Our team studied 1000 Tik Tok top videos with a #studenthacks hashtag. We categorized them into groups by topics and highlighted some trends authors were using to make their videos be the top ones.
Key Findings
We divided all 1000 of them into topics they cover. Here are they from the most popular to least ones:
- useful sites - 27%
- useful apps - 18%
- microsoft word/pdf/ppt tips - 16%
- productivity/motivation/multitasking tips - 10%
- useful extensions - 8%
- dorm organisation tips - 7%
- googling hacks (useful combinations, filetypes, etc) - 6%
- emails writing - 2%
There were some more unexpected cases:
- creating a perfect cheat sheet
- using a device for laminating papers
- netflix codes
- how to drink at a park with no one noticing
- how to “change” grades by rewriting them
- colleges you might have a threesome
As Internet hacks such as sites, apps and extensions were the most popular ones, here what they were mostly about:
- essay/dissertation writing - 18%
- math solving - 17%
- money hacks - 8%
- google meet/zoom tips - 7%
- how to download materials - 3%
We took some notes about the form of the videos. So,
- Videos with music or trend sound, without author talking - 39%
- Videos with a language other than English - 30%
- Videos having every word speaker says shown on the screen - 15%
- Videos usually going in series/parts - 14%
- Videos in the form of lists - 4%
- And there was 1% having answer only in comments
Interestingly, among 44% videos including a laptop they were equally divided into 22% using Macbook and 22% with Windows OS.
Looking at the results, we made some conclusions. Most of the hacks were about simplifying students’ lives by using sites, apps and tools. Topics such as dorm organisation, motivation and money hacks have less viewers. Also, users filming studying tips follow the main Tik Tok trends - making videos in parts, writing every word and using popular sounds.
Avery Morgan, Chief Communications Officer at EduBirdie, commented on a study,
“It’s not a secret that COVID had a huge impact on the educational process. Switching to online learning caused many changes in the way people study. Students often turned for help to the Internet, including professional resources and of course to each other. It is one of the main reasons there are so many studying hacks online.
Now, when campuses and dorms are open, the popularity of online tips hasn’t decreased but has somehow changed. We believe that tips students share with each other are a good way to understand their real needs.
The results we got show us how important it is to give students access to useful online resources and encourage them to share what keeps them motivated and productive. We believe this research is a little step to better dialogue with students.”