Resisting Authenticity: How young adults perceive authenticity in brand communication on TikTok
(2025) SKOM12 20251Department of Strategic Communication
- Abstract
- As digital content is taking up more and more space in everyday life, brands increasingly turn to social media platforms like TikTok to engage with audiences, especially young adults. However, with this increase also comes a rise in advertising skepticism and users’ heightened awareness of persuasive tactics employed by brands. As a result, it has be-come essential for brands to appear authentic in their communication. However, there is a paradox: when brands actively try to be authentic, they risk losing the perception of authenticity. This thesis explores this paradox, as well as how young adults aged 18-25 perceive authenticity in brand communication on TikTok, and how this perception influences their reception of branded content.... (More)
- As digital content is taking up more and more space in everyday life, brands increasingly turn to social media platforms like TikTok to engage with audiences, especially young adults. However, with this increase also comes a rise in advertising skepticism and users’ heightened awareness of persuasive tactics employed by brands. As a result, it has be-come essential for brands to appear authentic in their communication. However, there is a paradox: when brands actively try to be authentic, they risk losing the perception of authenticity. This thesis explores this paradox, as well as how young adults aged 18-25 perceive authenticity in brand communication on TikTok, and how this perception influences their reception of branded content. Drawing on theories such as the Persuasion Knowledge Model, Strategic Authenticity, Authentic Cues, and Social and Cultural Affordances, the study employs qualitative video-elicitation interviews to examine consumer responses to brand communication on the platform. The findings reveal that perceived authenticity is deeply influenced by both alignment with TikTok’s cultural norms, production style, and timing in relation to trends, but also the perception of a brand’s own identity. Thus, authenticity on TikTok is not merely about being truthful but about balancing between conforming to the platform’s norms and aesthetics but doing so in a manner that is not seen as unfit with the existing brand identities. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9207407
- author
- Van De Peppel Möller, William LU and Lassar Berg, Frida LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SKOM12 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Authenticity, TikTok, Skepticism, Brand Communication, Strategic Communication, Persuasion Knowledge, Strategic Authenticity
- language
- English
- id
- 9207407
- date added to LUP
- 2025-07-01 13:04:15
- date last changed
- 2025-07-01 13:04:15
@misc{9207407,
abstract = {{As digital content is taking up more and more space in everyday life, brands increasingly turn to social media platforms like TikTok to engage with audiences, especially young adults. However, with this increase also comes a rise in advertising skepticism and users’ heightened awareness of persuasive tactics employed by brands. As a result, it has be-come essential for brands to appear authentic in their communication. However, there is a paradox: when brands actively try to be authentic, they risk losing the perception of authenticity. This thesis explores this paradox, as well as how young adults aged 18-25 perceive authenticity in brand communication on TikTok, and how this perception influences their reception of branded content. Drawing on theories such as the Persuasion Knowledge Model, Strategic Authenticity, Authentic Cues, and Social and Cultural Affordances, the study employs qualitative video-elicitation interviews to examine consumer responses to brand communication on the platform. The findings reveal that perceived authenticity is deeply influenced by both alignment with TikTok’s cultural norms, production style, and timing in relation to trends, but also the perception of a brand’s own identity. Thus, authenticity on TikTok is not merely about being truthful but about balancing between conforming to the platform’s norms and aesthetics but doing so in a manner that is not seen as unfit with the existing brand identities.}},
author = {{Van De Peppel Möller, William and Lassar Berg, Frida}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Resisting Authenticity: How young adults perceive authenticity in brand communication on TikTok}},
year = {{2025}},
}