Publication Date

Summer 2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Advisor

Evan Palmer; Mark Van Selst; Christina Tzeng

Abstract

With the rapid growth of popularity among short-form video platforms such as TikTok, media consumption has shifted toward fast-paced and highly engaging formats. This trend raises questions about the potential effects of continuous exposure to brief and repetitive audiovisual stimuli on attention. Research on short-form video’s impact on attention is limited, but prior studies suggest it may influence attention in meaningful ways. This study examined the relationship between short-form video consumption and attention among TikTok users (N = 110) by using the Attention Network Task (ANT), which measures the alerting, orienting, and executive control networks of visual attention. Participants were assigned to one of two conditions: watching short-form videos on their personal TikTok accounts using their own phones for 10 minutes or assembling a jigsaw puzzle for 10 minutes. We predicted that exposure to short-form videos would be associated with lower alerting and orienting scores but higher executive control scores on the ANT, reflecting overall poorer performance on attention. Results showed no significant differences in the attention network scores between participants who watched TikTok and those who completed a puzzle. Additionally, recent TikTok screen time was not significantly associated with performance on any of the three attention networks. These findings suggest that a brief exposure to either activity did not significantly impact visual attention in this sample. Exploratory analyses revealed that younger participants, long-term users, and self-identified heavy users spent more time on TikTok.

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