1. Introduction

With the popularization of smartphones and the Internet, short video content has gradually become the main form of Internet content consumption. Douyin is a short video app launched by Chinese technology company ByteDance in September 2016. allowing users to record, edit, and share short videos in Douyin. With the development of digital technology, Douyin has become multifunctional, allowing users to watch and search for short videos and graphics on a variety of topics, as well as watch live streaming, shop, and learn about hot news in Douyin. With the continuous optimization of artificial intelligence algorithms, Douyin provides users with an accurate push of personalized content and more accurately pushes the short video content that users are interested in, which improves the stickiness of users. In Douyin, users can not only watch videos but also like, comment, retweet, and interact with other users, which is a strong interactive social media platform. Therefore, Douyin is not only a short video app but also provides users with a different way of entertainment, consumption, and information acquisition.

With the development of Internet technology, the modern digital economy, and the rise of social media. Douyin is not only a short video content entertainment platform but also drives the development of video shopping and live shopping. Especially in China, live streaming with goods has gradually become a mainstream consumption mode. The function of short videos and live streaming is to combine shopping and entertainment. Live streaming with goods is interactive and instantaneous so that consumers can understand the information of goods in real time. It is a more personalized and diverse consumption experience. In September 2023, Douyin Group was selected as one of the “Top 100 New Economy Unicorn Enterprises in China in 2023” released by iiMedia Ranking, an evaluation organization of new consumer brands in China, and ranked 1st with a valuation of approximately RMB 2,600 billion.

The college student group is one of the main user groups of Douyin. Their consumption behavior on Douyin reflects young people's reliance on digital lifestyles and the demand for personalized content consumption. In Douyin, college students are mainly involved in virtual consumption, e-commerce shopping consumption and so on. With the continuous optimization of Douyin consumption technology and the push of personalized content, it has successfully attracted college student groups to become sticky users of Douyin. At the same time, Douyin has also become the main consumption platform for college students.

This dissertation focuses on the influence of Chinese social media Douyin on the psychology of consumption by Chinese college students. Mainly through the form of the questionnaire survey, it collects Chinese college students' use of Douyin, as well as the related situation of consumption in Douyin and the influence of Douyin consumption on Chinese college students.

2. Literature Review

With the rise of social media and the maturity of new media technology. Social media platforms have become an indispensable part of people's daily lives. Social media is a tool and platform for people to communicate. In social media platforms, users are allowed to create, share, and exchange information and ideas. A social media platform is an important tool for information dissemination and social interaction. It is characterized by real-time communication and rapid diffusion of information. The rapid development of social media has changed the way people communicate, share information, and interact with the world. In social media, users can generate content as well as interact with users from different societies. Therefore, in the complex social media platform, a large amount of information and diversified entertainment have brought some impact on the consumer psychology of universities.

Although there are many studies on college students' psychology, few studies focus on the impact of social media on college students' consumer psychology. More studies are about the effects of social media on college students and do not focus on the effects of consumer psychology. In a study by Jeanna Mastrodicasa and Paul Metellus, the positive and negative effects of social media on college students were discussed [1].

In Andrew T Stephen's research, digital and social media marketing affects consumer behavior. Examples include advertising, digital environmental influences, online WOM, and reviews. In the case of online WOM and reviews, consumers take online reviews into consideration. The figurative language in online reviews has an impact on consumer attitudes [2]. Moreover, in the study of Jagdish N. Sheth, word of mouth in social media has an important influence and reliance on consumers [3]. Therefore, the content posted and produced on social media can have an impact on users' consumerism. Especially for the college student population, complex social media content may take control of the consumer's psychology as well as consumer behavior.

3. Methodology

This essay will discuss the influence of Douyin on the psychology of consumption by Chinese college students. To study this topic, a questionnaire survey was designed about the influence of Douyin on the consumption psychology of these college students. The questionnaire survey consists of three different types of questions, including single-choice questions, multiple-choice questions, and open-ended fill-in-the-blank questions. The content of the questionnaire was divided into four main categories, including personal information, the use of Douyin, the consumption psychology and behavior of college students, and rational consumption and financial literacy.

In the process of collecting questionnaires, the author posted the questionnaire links in the short video of Douyin, as well as on social media platforms such as Weibo and RedBook, and a total of 112 questionnaires were collected, but there were 84 valid questionnaires among them. In addition, for data processing and analysis, the author used charts and graphs to analyze the data. Integrating the collected data, the author analyzed the college students' use of Douyin short videos, as well as their views on Douyin consumption and how Douyin guides college students' consumption.

4. Results

A total of 112 questionnaires were collected in the form of a questionnaire survey on “The influence of Douyin on the consumption psychology of Chinese college students”, of which 84 questionnaires were valid. The questions in this questionnaire survey mainly covered four aspects, namely, the collection of basic personal information, the use of Douyin, consumption psychology and behavior, and rational consumption and financial literacy.

The questionnaire on basic personal information contained three main questions, which were gender, grade level, and average monthly living expenses. Among the college students who participated in the questionnaire, 50% were female, 42.86% were male, and also 7.14% of the participants did not want to disclose their gender. Among the people who participated in the questionnaire, mainly freshmen and seniors, of freshmen accounted for 35.71% of the total number of participants, and the number of participants from seniors accounted for 42.86% of the total number of participants in the questionnaire. The number of sophomores and juniors who participated in the questionnaire was relatively small, accounting for 10.71% of the total number of participants. The questionnaire also collected the monthly living expenses of the college students who participated in the questionnaire survey, in which 16.96% of the college students only have 0-1000 RMB per month, 26.79% of the college students have 1501-2000 RMB per month, and there are only 11.61% of the college students who have living expenses of more than 2000 RMB per month. Among them, 1001-1500 yuan is the option chosen by the largest number of people, 44.64% of college students have monthly living expenses in the range of 1001-1500 yuan.

In the questionnaire survey, four questions about the use of Douyin were also included. There are 91.07% of college students use the Douyin short video app, but there are also 8.93% of college students do not use Douyin. The questionnaire also collects how long college students use Douyin every day, only 16.07% of college students spend less than 30 minutes on Douyin every day, 23.21% of college students, spend 30 minutes to 1 hour on Douyin every day, and 20.54% of college students use Douyin for more than 3 hours every day, in which the college students participating in the questionnaire, choose to spend 1 hour to 3 hours on Douyin The number of college students who participated in the questionnaire survey is the largest, accounting for 40.18% of the total number. It also surveyed the college students through what ways to know and use Douyin, of which the most people chose to be friends, and family recommendations, accounting for 35.71% of the total number of people. 21.43% learned about and used Douyin through social platforms such as Weibo, WeChat, and other software charts. The number of people who chose traditional media such as TV, newspapers, and other apps bundled with advertisements was less, 2.68% and 4.46% respectively. There were also 14.29% of participants who chose others. In addition, the types of content that college students watched on Douyin were also surveyed, in which the number of people who chose to watch entertainment and funny was the largest, accounting for 82.14% of the total number of people, of which the number of people who watched food, fashion wear/beauty, pets, games, learning, and fashion hotspots was relatively average. There were also 18.75% who chose to watch other types of content.

In the third part of the questionnaire, nine questions were set about the psychology and behavior of consumption in Douyin. Among the college students who participated in the questionnaire, 75% of them consumed when watching short videos on Douyin, and 25% of the participants did not consume. Secondly, the way college students consumption on Douyin was also investigated, in which 57.14% of college students would click on the links below the video to make purchases and purchase in the live broadcasting room, and 54.76% would search for purchases on the Internet by themselves. There are also 13.1% of college students who choose to buy offline on their own, as well as 2.38% who choose other ways of consumption. In addition, the questionnaire also collected college students' credibility for shopping on the Douyin App, most of them think that the credibility of shopping on the Douyin App is average, and the quality is acceptable, of which 16.67% of college students think that shopping on Douyin App is very credible, and the quality is guaranteed, in addition to 2.38% college students think that it is not credible at all, and the quality is not guaranteed.

In the questionnaire, the main types of college students' consumption on Douyin were collected, in which life skills and beauty apparel are the main types of college students' consumption on Douyin, both accounting for 59.52%. The fitness category is the least in the consumption share, accounting for only 25%, humor and funny, technology and digital, humanities and sciences, entertainment and variety, as well as food production, the number of people who chose the category is between 30% and 50%, in addition to 29.76% of college students consume game products on Shake it, as well as 2.38% of the people, chose the other.

In the questionnaire, the reasons why college students consume Douyin videos were collected, 65.48% of college students chose high utility, which meets their own needs, also 23.81% of participants chose simply like a certain type of video so they consume it, and 10.71% of participants consume it because their favourite blogger is doing this type of video. In addition, in the questionnaire, it was also mentioned whether college students increased their consumption of goods and service types because of the recommendations of Douyin short videos, of which the category of daily necessities accounted for the largest share, as high as 47.62%. Cosmetics and food and drink accounted for similar percentages, 21.43%, and 22.62% respectively. 8.33% of college students increased their consumption in the category of electronic products because of the recommendation of Douyin short videos. For the increased consumption due to Douyin short videos, 58.33% of college students think it is value for money. There are also 29.76% of college students who think that the products consumed on Douyin are average, in addition to 7.14% who think it is worthwhile and 4.76% who regret it. As to whether the way consumption of college students is influenced by the back of Douyin video marketing, most of the college students think that the influence is small and average, accounting for 32.14% and 36.9% respectively. There are also 15.48% of college students who think that the consumption style is not influenced by the marketing of Douyin videos, in addition, 14.29% of college students think that the influence is large, and even 1.19% of college students think that the influence is very large.

In the last panel of the questionnaire, a total of 3 questions were set. The first one is about the survey on rational and impulsive consumption of college students. 53.57% of college students are more rational in consumption, however, 11.9% of college students chose impulsive consumption over rational consumption. In addition, 34.52% of the college students chose to spend more rationally than impulsively, and 34.52% of the college students chose to spend more rationally than impulsively. When college students do not have enough money for living expenses, 61.9% of them choose to work part-time or save money, 32,14% of them choose to ask their parents for more money, and a very small number of them choose to borrow money and other ways, accounting for 2.38% and 3.57% respectively. Finally, this study collected what aspects of the store college students care most about when buying goods, in which practicality and cost-effectiveness are both the most important to the college students who participated in the questionnaire, accounting for 78.57% and 75% respectively. This was followed by 51.19% of college students who cared about the price of the store where they purchased the goods. The number of people who cared about brand and aesthetics was relatively small, accounting for 30.95% and 35.71% respectively, and 3.57% of college students also chose others.

Finally, an open question was set in the questionnaire: why don't college students choose to spend money on Douyin? Most of the participants answered that the product quality was not good.

5. Discussion

Douyin is one of the most popular short video platforms among the college student group. In the questionnaire survey, 112 survey results were collected, and as many as 91.07% of college students use Douyin short video app, and only 8.93% of college students do not use Douyin. Therefore, Douyin is one of the most popular short video platforms among college student groups and one of the social media platforms with a high usage coverage rate among Chinese college students.

The results of the questionnaire survey show that 75% of college students will spend money when watching short videos on Douyin. There are 57.14% of college students will directly click on the link below the video to make a purchase, 54.76% of college students will have searched online to purchase on their own, in addition, there are also 57.14% of college students will spend money in the live broadcasting room.

First of all, it is the influence of the grass culture in the platform of Douyin, which will accurately push the videos to different users according to the big data algorithm, display the products through creative and interesting content, and push the videos to the users in need in an efficient way. Therefore, many college students will be influenced by the creative advertisements in the short videos and have the desire to consume when watching Douyin short videos [4]. Because these short videos comprehensively and interestingly show the various aspects of the product, it will make college students have the consumption psychology of “must buy”.

Secondly, college students use Douyin in a fragmented way, they will use their rest time to “brush Douyin” to learn about the latest trends, and according to the big data, they will pay attention to some interested Internet celebrity bloggers and watch their “exquisite life”. Due to the influence of the Internet celebrity economy, many college students follow Internet celebrities to learn how to dress, makeup, etc., and regard Internet celebrities as trendsetters. These Internet celebrities share their “goodies” in Douyin, which will give college students the idea of consumption and searching for and buying some Internet celebrity's products. In the virtual world of social networks, they seek a sense of cultural identity.

Finally, there is a culture of low-priced promotions and group buys in Douyin live streams. Many live rooms will upload a variety of low-priced items to attract a large number of students to buy. Some limited-time discounts and group buys will make consumers feel that it is a good deal, favourable, and “the activity is strong”. Therefore, in the Douyin broadcasting room, the promotion of low-priced goods will attract a large number of college students to consume, even if they do not need such goods, they will choose to buy because of the low price and strong discounts. In general, the rich and varied creative content in Douyin short videos prompts college students to make some unnecessary consumption when watching short videos.

Douyin shopping has changed the way college students spend money. The questionnaire collected the preferences of college students' consumption methods, in which only 13.1% of them would choose to buy offline. Most of college students choose to consume by linking under the video, searching online to buy on their own, and watching live streaming with goods. This is because online shopping is becoming more sophisticated due to the advancement of digital media technology. Social media platforms are changing consumers' shopping behavior and consumption methods. In Douyin, personalized recommendations and precise marketing algorithms will precisely push relevant advertisements and goods according to users' interests, browsing records, and likes [5]. It also changes the traditional advertising operation mode.

Douyin shopping has set off the era of online shopping, and college students use fragmented time to watch Douyin, receiving a large number of product recommendations in a short period, as well as diverse advertising and marketing, forming a fragmented consumption habit. The place of consumption is no longer limited to shopping places, and the time of consumption has become flexible [6]. College students can shop anywhere and anytime in Douyin, forming a fast-paced consumption mode.

In addition, the implantation of diverse advertising content in the short video of Douyin makes the advertising content more interesting and more intuitive to consumers. Short videos have also gradually become the main channel for college students to obtain product information. They can get in touch with commodity information in a more relaxed environment, and the diverse product recommendations in Douyin make it easier for college students to learn about various types of commodity information, making shopping easier and more entertaining.

In general, the shopping section in Douyin has changed the traditional way of consumption, making the consumption process more social and entertaining. Online shopping also breaks the limitations of time and geography, bringing college students a more relaxed consumption experience, thus promoting the diversification of the consumption of college student groups. But it also makes college students produce a lot of unnecessary consumption.

6. Conclusion

This dissertation focuses on the influence of Douyin on the consumption psychology of Chinese college students. The influence of Douyin on college students' consumption psychology was analyzed by designing a questionnaire and collecting questionnaires. The questionnaire is mainly divided into four sections, which are the basic information of the participants, the use of Douyin, consumption psychology and behavior, and rational consumption and financial literacy. Among the groups of college students who participated in the questionnaire survey, there were more participants from freshmen and seniors. In addition, 91.07% of the college students who participated in the questionnaire survey used the Douyin short video APP. thus, Douyin has become one of the most popular social platforms in China, especially among the college student group. The rich content and creative advertisement implantation in Douyin allow the college student group to experience an entertaining and socialized shopping experience, but at the same time, it also generates a lot of unnecessary consumption.

In conclusion, this paper argues that Douyin has brought Chinese college students a more convenient and entertaining shopping experience, but at the same time, it has also given rise to a “must-buy” consumerism in the college students' psyche.

The limitation of this thesis is that it only studied the impact of Douyin on the consumption psychology of Chinese universities. Therefore, subsequent related research can focus on different social media platforms and the views of users of different ages on online consumption and so on.