For Gen Z, mornings don’t begin with brushing teeth or saying a prayer. They begin by scrolling through TikTok or Instagram.

What started as an app for memes and dance challenges is now a source of news, trends, and influence.

For marketers, this shift signals a bigger truth: TikTok isn’t just entertainment. It’s attention. And attention is where marketing lives.

The 2023 Reuters Institute Digital News Report shows that 44% of people globally, mostly youth, consume news and entertainment on TikTok.

A 2025 global survey went further: nearly half of TikTok users trust updates from creators, influencers, and celebrities more than from journalists. This means brand voices often sit beside, or even above, traditional media.

In Ghana, TikTok has become the go-to hub for young audiences, thanks to short-form content that feels immediate and personal. Whether it’s politics, celebrity news, or product launches, TikTok’s algorithm delivers news and stories straight to people who care about them.

For digital marketers, this is a lesson: audiences don’t want to be talked at. They want content that feels relevant, relatable, and native to their feed.

But TikTok also comes with risk. As stories spread faster than television or newspapers, misinformation becomes harder to control. For brands, this raises the stakes. The way you tell your story matters.

How you fact-check, frame, and interact shapes trust in your digital community.

To understand the dynamics, I spoke with creators, student journalists, and media professionals. Their perspectives highlight lessons marketers can’t ignore.

On responsibility and trust

“I would say, whatever content I'm creating, whether it's about a new gadget or breaking a tech story, my priority is always about getting my facts right… My followers trust my perspective, so I do need to be upfront about my own biases and potential conflicts of interest. I feel like my role is more than just a content creator. I am a guide, so I take the responsibility to lead with integrity, to be a reliable source in the plethora of news out there.”

-Dessy Ocean, Visual Storyteller & Tech Creator

For marketers, the audience expects accuracy, transparency, and authenticity. In a crowded space, trust is the brand currency.

On accuracy and exaggeration
“Well, I'll say TikTok has a 30% truth or seriousness when it comes to the issues of news or information that have to do with people, things, and places… believing news you see on TikTok shouldn't be a hundred per cent something because it is not a hundred per cent accurate. They are either exaggerated or they are targeted at destroying or hyping something.”

— Ato Kwamena, Media Personnel & Student Journalist

For marketers, content that feels exaggerated may trend, but it also risks credibility loss. Balance attention-grabbing creativity with accuracy.

On engagement and interaction

“First off, TikTok feels easier to use because most videos being posted there are short… TikTok allows engagement. People are able to comment, and people are able to do videos and also share their ideas on it. Unlike TV or newspapers… when it comes to TikTok, all these things make it feel easier, and then, most of the time, that's where people are nowadays.”

— Alexa, Media Personnel & Student Journalist

For marketers, short, interactive content wins. TikTok isn’t a one-way channel. It’s a conversation space.

On news as “content”

“So with issues of news on TikTok, for us, the younger generation, no matter how serious the news is, we find a way to create content out of it… So basically, you don't see it as news but rather more content creation.”

— Onasis Kojo Kizito, Media Personnel & Student Journalist

For marketers, even serious topics are reimagined as content. Brands that adapt to this culture—without losing message integrity—will stay relevant.

On long-term impact

“So I think TikTok is changing how young people understand and engage with serious issues because it looks like they are taking everything for granted… It’s really doing more harm than good.”

— Clankson Achempong, Professional Journalist

For marketers, virality can trivialise messages. Marketers need strategies that balance short-term traction with long-term brand meaning.

On cultural moments
“I heard about an album announcement through TikTok, right, and it didn't feel like a cultural moment to me… But in previous times, we would see artists get to award shows with stage setups and a whole solid performance just to roll out an album, and that comes with longevity… But now, we have TikTok, and it's the new radio, and it's not really feeling good because it doesn't have longevity.”

— Esther, Media Personnel & Student Journalist

For marketers, trends give you reach, but strategy gives you longevity. Without thoughtful rollouts, campaigns disappear as fast as they trend.

For Gen Z, TikTok is both entertainment and information. For brands, it’s a stage where trust, relatability, and creativity decide who gets heard. The platform may be changing how young people consume news, but it’s also rewriting the rules of marketing.

So the question is: Will brands learn to play by TikTok’s rules, or will they risk being left out of the conversation?

The writer Florence Lartiorkor Mensah is a Digital Marketing Strategist and Social Media Community Manager, overseeing digital presence for multiple brands.