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Social media platforms such as TikTok are commercially driven environments where people are constantly exposed to, influenced by, and integrated into commercial content. This commercial content is often subtle, as actors such as influencers integrate advertising messages into their personal content. As a result, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between personal and commercial messages. While research has investigated ethical concerns related to online advertising, few studies have examined these dynamics specifically on TikTok. This paper addresses this gap by investigating the commercial content posted by TikTok influencers, with a particular focus on how commercial messages are displayed in their videos. Drawing on an ethnographic content analysis of 1,390 TikTok videos published by 30 influencers, we identify four dominant ways in which commercial messages are presented: (1) playful portraits, (2) informative tutorials, (3) product testing and recommendations, and (4) commercialized lifestyles. We argue that TikTok facilitates a commercial playground, a space where commerce is disguised as entertainment and trends. This study contributes to the conversations on influencer marketing and ethical concerns related to the commercialization of social media.
Hogsnes et al. (Mon,) studied this question.