A Heideggerian conceptual framework of temporality and visual strategy in TikTok: past, present, and future in digital engagement

In essence, the rise of TikTok is a temporal phenomenon governed by an algorithmic logic that prioritises instantaneous relevance over static social links. While traditional research attributes virality to technology or psychology. This research argues that a philosophical approach to time is essential for understanding digital participation. By examining Martin Heidegger’s existential phenomenology of ecstatic temporality, which encompasses past (Gewesen), present (Gegenwart), and future (Zukunft), this article introduces novel theoretical insights for analyzing video content strategies on TikTok. On the surface, this method appears as a diagnosis that reveals TikTok creators (and the platform’s algorithm) produce content with time in mind rather than merely making abstract judgments about it. This practice challenges conventional wisdom about determining the “best time to post” content, suggesting that successful material resonates with how real people genuinely experience and navigate time—the past, present, and future. This synthesis of philosophy and digital media studies presents a critical tool for comprehending engagement. It offers both theoretical advancements and practical strategies for content creation in an era characterised by algorithmic temporality.