Research On TikTok Overseas Communication By The Perspective Of Glocalization

Since 2017,Douyin has spread rapidly around the world.Its overseas version,TikTok,has amassed more than 100 million users in over 150 countries and regions within only two years.In overseas countries,Tiktok has been continuously integrated with local people's life.The practice of TikTok's glocalization are of great significance to deepening the glocalization theory and the exploration of how Chinese social media can enter the global market.With the Malaysian version of TikTok as a case,this article analyzes the communication platform and content of TikTok from the perspective of glocalization and verifies the effect of TikTok's glocalization through audience survey.It is found in this study that both globalization and localization are practiced in TikTok's overseas communication.Among them,the product positioning,product design and technologies of Douyin,as “indispensable modules”,remain the same in its global version.And the content introduction,events customization and content recommendation,as “optional modules”,are adapted and re-innovated locally.In the process of TikTok's overseas spreading,it disseminates its content adhering to the “pan-entertainment”,“depoliticization” and “pan-life” communication theme.It also practices “cultural interactive transformation” by integrating its content with the local language,music,folk customs,religion and other regional communication elements.In Malaysia,the practice of TikTok's glocalization is generally supported by the audience.But some problems like “political misunderstanding”,“children's addiction to the App”,“shallow content” and “homogeneous content” also inhibit TikTok's spreading in Malaysia.It is concluded that the glocalization of TikTok's “module marketing” has ensured the consistency of TikTok's platform experience in different versions and promoted Tik Tok's local compatibility.In terms of its content,the connotation of glocalization,“the standardization and regionalization of elements”,makes TikTok's branding topic more compatible to the local culture and create content that is suitable to spread locally.It could be concluded that the content distribution of social media platform and the “media carrier” are of great importance to the glocalization of social media.This finding confirms and supplements the theory of glocalization.