Interview data underlying the MSc thesis: Understanding unreflective habit formation on TikTok as a system safety problem: an explorative study in Vietnam

There are increasing concerns regarding an insidious consequence of social media: the erosion of user autonomy. The research aims to explore unreflective habit formation – an expression of loss of user autonomy - in the context of TikTok usage in Vietnam and to apply STAMP model to conceptualize the issue and the STPA method to provide actionable recommendations to the Vietnam Government. Being explorative, the research adopts desk research and qualitative methods. By integrating different concepts of autonomy in philosophy and HCI, the research identifies five key dimensions of autonomy, namely decision, execution, self-congruence, independence and system hostility. As social media exploits neurological reward cycles to reinforce user habits, user autonomy is infringed under the decision, execution and system hostility dimensions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Vietnamese female university students in Hue during April 2025, revealing that their impulsive TikTok habitual use is unreflective. There are three main losses from this impulsive habit: time, focus capacity and identity rigidification. The responsibility for regulating social media platforms lies with the Government. They should adopt a combined strategy that integrates strict regulation of social media with comprehensive public education. These measures must be informed by up-to-date scientific research on user behavior and platform design. Regulations should not target TikTok in isolation, as the platform’s features are widely replicated across the industry. While applying STAMP model and STPA method to social media reveals both challenges and benefits, this approach is appropriate as it offers actionable insights that support targeted and comprehensive policy strategies.

社交媒体正引发日益增多的担忧，其潜藏的负面影响之一便是用户自主性的消解。本研究旨在以越南地区的TikTok使用场景为依托，探究非反思性习惯养成（即用户自主性丧失的一种表现形式）；同时运用STAMP模型对该问题进行概念化，并采用STPA方法为越南政府提供可落地的政策建议。鉴于本研究属于探索性研究，故采用案头研究与质性研究方法。本研究整合了哲学与人机交互（Human-Computer Interaction, HCI）领域中关于自主性的多元概念，提炼出自主性的五大核心维度：决策维度、执行维度、自我一致性维度、独立维度与系统敌意维度。由于社交媒体会利用神经奖励循环强化用户使用习惯，因此在决策、执行与系统敌意这三个维度上，用户自主性会受到侵害。2025年4月，研究团队针对顺化市的12名越南女大学生开展了半结构化访谈，结果显示她们冲动性的TikTok习惯性使用行为属于非反思性使用。这种冲动性使用习惯会带来三方面主要损失：时间损耗、注意力能力下降与身份固化。社交媒体平台的监管责任应由政府承担。政府应采用融合严格监管与全面公共教育的复合策略。上述监管措施需基于用户行为与平台设计领域的最新科学研究制定。监管政策不应仅针对TikTok单一平台，因为该平台的功能设计已在行业内被广泛复刻。尽管将STAMP模型与STPA方法应用于社交媒体领域兼具挑战与收益，但该方法仍具备适用性，因其可提供可落地的洞见，助力制定精准且全面的政策策略。