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These days, companies are communicating directly with clients and customers on social media on a daily basis. Never before have customers been able to access information, reviews, testimonials, customer support, and much more with such ease. You have likely communicated with your favorite brands and businesses on places like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. But now that social media up-and-comer TikTok has won over millions of loyal users, companies are getting the hang of leveraging this fun and entertaining platform to better serve their customers.

Eyegaze has taken the leap into the world of TikTok and we’d love to share our content, which is growing rapidly in popularity with you! Here is an interview with Eyegaze Marketing and Communications Manager Jeramey Kwan about how Eyegaze is using their eye tracking technology and TikTok to educate and entertain you.

How did you come to the idea to start a TikTok channel?

TikTok is a widely popular social media platform where videos are instantly shared at the single click of a button. We figured It would be beneficial to upload more entertaining videos to TikTok that we don’t usually post to our other social media platforms. The idea was that some of this would generate interest, thus bringing more traffic to our website and awareness to the technology.

How did you select videos for the eyegaze studies and how do you get your research subjects?

Initially, our first 4 videos were posted on YouTube several years ago, before my time at Eyegaze. I recently stumbled on them and thought that these videos could be made into a series on TikTok. Hence “Eyegaze Reacts”. Selecting videos is becoming easier as we ask viewers at the end of the videos “What should we do next?”. So we either make videos based off of suggestions or random videos that are viral or relevant. We’ve gathered research data from both employees in the office and students at a local university.

Are there any videos that particularly resonated with viewers?

The highest view count we currently have on a video is an old GoPro commercial featuring a baby being thrown up into the air. What viewers find most interesting in our videos is that wherever they look, a gaze dot is usually there as well. The concept of being unique or different comes into question in a lot of our videos. They are learning that what they find most interesting in a video is what someone else finds most interesting. Other viewers think the dots dancing around the screen are flat out hilarious, even in some more serious or ethos heavy videos.

How can TikTok change our perception of the images we encounter every day?

TikTok is constantly learning about your interests. If at any point of a video you get bored, you can instantly change it to a completely different video that TikToks algorithm believes you will find interest in. You are only shown your favorite kinds of videos only after a week or so of using it. What does this mean? It means we as humans are constantly being stimulated online which can alter the way we look at certain images. We get bored faster than we used to. It sets new standards for movie makers, advertisers, graphic design artists, and marketers to keep up with the level of stimulation and attention retainment held in TikTok. If you think targeted advertising is a nuisance now, imagine it utilizing eye tracking technology to become even more targeted.

What is the biggest takeaway from the Eyegaze TikTok channel?

Currently, since we’ve only posted react videos, TikTok users find out what points of interest in scenes actually draw the most attention from its viewers. One TikTok user commented, “It’s almost like you’re watching these videos with the subjects being experimented on.” It brings a whole new perspective to any medium that is published because now our followers are more aware of how it might be viewed, literally. They’re learning about a technology that can display where they are looking on a screen. Scary or cool? What people don’t know is that the hardware required to run these experiments are already built into their phones! Online, we have free reign to look at whatever we want. What if eye tracking made you just as accountable for where you look in the virtual world as society does in the real world? What in the Black Mirror!? Regardless, we are moving towards a world where this technology will be normalized in one way, shape, or form. It’s up to us to decide how it’s used.

Are you curious about where others are focusing their gaze in the commercials and videos you watch? Visit us on TikTok to see what all the buzz is about – you can find us on our channel: eyegaze_

To learn more about our eye tracking technology, please visit www.eyegaze.com