application/pdfStr. 9-23 342312 bytes http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode 2023 info:eu-repo/semantics/article The Motivation for Using the Social Media Platform TikTok from the Perspective of the Uses and Gratifications Theory Media Studies and Applied Ethics Vol. 4, No 2, 2023, str. 9–23. The way we communicate on a daily basis has changed significantly since the turn of the 21st century. Besides communication platforms, social media has become the leading generator of opinions, ideas, thoughts, and emotions, especially among younger populations. The circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic further stimulated the popularity of certain social media platforms, with TikTok being at the forefront (Fratila, 2021; Kennedy, 2020). Previous research has shown a wide range of motivational factors for using the TikTok social media platform, including entertainment, which is the most prominent, followed by social interaction and connection. Additionally, social media is often used for leisure, self-expression, archiving, escapism, learning new skills, following celebrities and influencers, trends, and more (Berthon et al., 2008; Muntinga et al., 2011; Omar & Dequan, 2020; Yaqi, Lee & Liu, 2021; Khairul Nuzuli, 2022). The theoretical framework of the study is based on the Uses and Gratifications approach, which will be used to interpret the results. The aim is to examine which gratifications drive the use of TikTok. The sample consists of 135 students from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Niš. The data collection method used is a questionnaire. The questionnaire includes items that were developed and used by Omar & Dequan, (2020) and Khairul Nuzuli, (2022), covering five categories of motives: information, personal identity, interaction and social integration, entertainment, and self-expression. eng Stamenković, Ivana Mitrović, Marta https://phaidrani.ni.ac.rs/o:2194 doi:10.46630/msae.2.2023.02 ISSN: 2683-5355 Filozofski fakultet u Nišu OSNO - Opšta sistematizacija naučnih oblasti, Sociologija komunikacije OSNO - Opšta sistematizacija naučnih oblasti, Sociologija komunikacije social media, TikTok, usage motives, uses and gratification, youth društvene mreže, tikotok, motivi upotrebe, korist i zadovoljstvo, mladi