Generation Z: The Role of Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions in the Adoption of TikTok

Abstract

This paper aims to disclose the elements influencing Generation Z’s adoption of TikTok as well as whether culture has a significant role in the adoption of the platform. Disclosing the influencing elements is relevant for firms’ ability to compute successful competitive advantage through the implementation of TikTok in their marketing strategies. To answer the research question, this research examines the relationship between the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions together with an examination of the extent to which perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived enjoyment (PE), and culture can explain Generation Z’s adoption of TikTok and their willingness to buy (WTB) products that are discovered on TikTok.
The research adopts a perspective of positivism and seeks explanatory answers to the research question and aims to establish causal relationships between the elements of TAM and Generation Z’s adoption of TikTok. Secondly, the research aims to evaluate the success of TikTok as a marketing channel in a firm’s marketing strategy to reach consumers of Generation Z by investigating Generation Z’s WTB products that are discovered on TikTok. Hypotheses have been developed and tested through the utilization of a self-administered questionnaire. In total, 254 participants from twenty countries have been included in the research, seeking evidence in as differentiating contexts as possible. To analyze the collected data three different statistical analyses have been performed, specifically, factor analysis, Cronbach’s Alpha, and multiple regression analysis.
The findings, firstly, disclose that only perceived enjoyment significantly influences Generation Z’s adoption of TikTok. Secondly, in relation to the role of culture, the findings reveal that the role of culture has become relatively complex in the explanation of Generation Z’s adoption of TikTok. The findings suggest that culture to a greater extent does not have a significant moderating effect on Generation Z’s adoption of TikTok. Finally, culture was revealed to not influence WTB products that are discovered on TikTok. Nevertheless, in relation to managerial implications and the understanding of culture’s influence on the adoption of TikTok in Generation Z, the number of factors influencing effective marketing is large, and research can still be done in this area of research.