The purpose of this paper is to discuss the social change that has occurred and is continuing to occur as a result of online social media platforms such as TikTok. Offline activism is being fuelled by TikTok as millennials use the application to share unfiltered experiences from all over the world, creating a community of individuals who follow content based on their interests, resulting in social change.
Traditionally, governments have held a strong hold on media distribution to the public. However, as technology advances, younger generations are becoming less dependent on government-controlled media, with 43% of millennials now turning to social media for breaking news stories (Sprout Social, 2021). Unlike other forms of media, TikTok’s algorithms and hashtags work to show people parts of the world and experiences government-controlled media does not show. These tools also work to keep the user engaged, spending hours on the application building a network of like-minded individuals.
This paper discusses Karl Marx’s theory of social change, where he argues that social change occurs as the result of conflict. While history has proven this to be true, TikTok is allowing individuals to broadcast conflict situations with limited government control, much faster and to a larger audience than previous forms of media. This was clear in recent online movements that forged social change through offline activism such as Black Lives Matter, Fight for Ukraine and Me Too.
Taking Marx’s theory into consideration, more social change can be expected as more conflict situations continue to be broadcasted and shared with millions of people through TikTok.
As key players in the functioning of society, governments have controlled the media spread to their communities since the beginning of civilisation (Williams, 1998). Nowadays, as technology rapidly evolves and shapes the way we consume media; governments have had to adapt to the digital world to maintain their previous stronghold. However, this monopoly has since been lost to the online social networking platforms we are seeing the younger generations turn to.
More specifically, TikTok is allowing millennials to share experiences related to social issues with limited government control, resulting in offline activism and social change. Known in the modern world as ‘influencers’, ordinary users have created online identities that have gained followings from people all over the world. These influencers can shape the views and opinions of millions of people with the same amount of influence as celebrities and other leaders (Zhang, 2021). As a result of this, research into the effect online media networks are having on political participation is ongoing.
Millennials, or those born between 1981 and 1996 (Dimock, 2019), are proven to be the most dependent generation on social media, with a 2021 Sprout Social survey finding 72% of them believe it is an essential part of their lives and 43% use social media for breaking news stories (Sprout Social, 2021). In 2020, TikTok became the most downloaded app in the world with over 1 billion active monthly users (Sheikh, 2022), and 39% of them millennials (Sprout Social, 2021). TikTok allows users to instantly share video content anywhere and everywhere. Through this, users are spending hours on the app gaining a strong sense of connectedness to parts of the world they may have never seen before, ultimately bridging cultural gaps and indifferences.
The application’s interface is also highly addictive, automatically playing and looping videos in a public feed, known as the For You page. The For You page uses algorithms to suggest content based on what the user has previously interacted with. TikTok makes the experience even easier, allowing the user to simply swipe up to skip to the next video. On TikTok, users are required to keep, as opposed to catch the audience’s attention, in a video up to 3 minutes long. However, when the platform first launched, videos were restricted to 15 seconds, meaning it was even easier for the user to quickly scroll through a reel of never-ending videos.
The use of hashtags and algorithms allows for content on social networking platforms to be controlled and ordered (Saxton, Niyirora, Guo, & Waters, 2015). Hashtags are used to connect related content across different platforms and have prompted movements to form, like we saw with #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter. While ‘online activism’ may be as simple as re-sharing or liking a post, recent studies have suggested this may be linked to offline activism and political participation (Freelon, Marwick, & Kreiss, 2020).
While traditional social media platforms would sort the user’s feed chronologically, modern platforms use algorithms to provide a personalised feed (Barnhart, 2021). TikTok’s algorithms are based on the user’s interactions with other videos in the app, whether that be liking, sharing, commenting, re-watching or simply watching the full video (Geyser, 2021). These hashtags and algorithms allow the message to quickly spread across the globe, causing activists from all parts of the world to protest both online and offline.
The New York Times called the platform “a permanent venue for ideological formation, political activism and trolling” (Herrman, 2020). Such ideological formations often impact and are impacted by one’s self-presentation. This refers to the process of an individual’s identity adapting to social, cultural, economic, or political realities (Papacharissi, 2010). TikTok is allowing millennials to transform their identities based on the information they share and interact with online. Allowing individuals to form communities of like-minded people further cements the reality of these self-presentations. The sense of support these users feel from their communities pushes them to take activism offline, resulting in social change.
Social change is the transformation of cultures, institutions, and functions (Dufney, 2019). Millennials themselves have experienced significant events throughout their lives that have led to social change, including wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the inauguration of the first African American President in the United States (Dimock, 2019). These events resulted in significant social change during fundamental years of development for millennials. In more recent years, millennials have used TikTok to lead revolutionary movements such as The Climate Strike, Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ+ movement. The work of Karl Marx argued that social change occurs as a result of conflict, which triggers people to react. This was made evident during the Fight For Ukraine movement that saw some civilians go so far as travelling internationally to fight for peace in the country. TikTok played a large part in this, as Ukrainians shared their experiences during the invasion with viewers from all over the world, triggering a social reaction.
During the Fight For Ukraine movement it was made clear that millennials are becoming less dependent on government-controlled media, leaving their current governments to fight for the government of strangers on their For You page (Petkova, 2022). The conflict theory of social change as described by Karl Marx has proven to be true in this instance. However, there are various conflict situations that have not resulted in such social disruption, including the Afghanistan War that ran from 2001 for two decades.
Unsurprisingly, a search of the Afghan War on TikTok shows videos with over 19 billion views collectively (TikTok, 2022). In comparison, the Ukrainian War continues to trend on TikTok as an ongoing event with statistics changing daily. The Afghanistan war ran for 20 years with only the final years being when TikTok became popular. The amount of views accumulated during this time proves millennials are just as interested in what is happening in Ukraine as what happened in Afghanistan. While there are many factors that contributed to the ending of the Afghanistan War, the government’s lack of control on the media, specifically media shared on TikTok, may have been a contributing factor. It begs the question, if online video sharing platforms such as TikTok had existed in the beginning of the Afghanistan War, would it have caused more social disruption and ultimately ended sooner?
As social networking platforms continue to raise the awareness of conflict, the work of Karl Marx would suggest more social change is likely. Although this may sound terrifying, history has shown this change is not only necessary but also to the benefit of the greater society. Rising to popularity during a time where “real-world” communities were vulnerable, TikTok is helping millennials lead this social change, by exposing their users to media their government-controlled media institutions are not. TikTok, as opposed to other social networking platforms, has an extremely addictive interface that sees the user spend hours on the application. The use of hashtags and algorithms work to keep the audience engaged with the app as they are provided with a personalised, relevant feed. When conflict arises, and is shared on social media, hashtags are used to form movements, such as #BlackLivesMatter, #FightForUkraine and #MeToo. These movements begin as simple online activism, but as research has indicated, this then leads to offline activism and political participation. This was made clear during the Fight For Ukraine movement that saw people leave the safety of their own homes to fight for people they have only met virtually. With online social networking platforms increasing the awareness of conflict, it’s likely these social changes will continue at an accelerating rate.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Enjoyed your paper, Jordan. you cast a brave net, from Karl Marx to TikTok. I am sure Karl would be very chuffed. But an awful lot has happened and changed since his inspirational writings. I wonder what he would make of the last 20 years of mass culture and the struggle between individuals and governments and big corporations? If you haven’t already, you owe it to yourself to read some of the great minds thinking and writing about power and society and change in our times. Steven Pinker, Matt Ridley & Jarred Diamond are three you would find compelling. I had many thoughts while reading your paper. I wonder where you see capitalism and big corporations fitting in? In an important sense, I think they sit between government and consumers. Watch how Facebook (for example) negotiates government legislation and taxation alongside consumer backlash and calls for transparency. TikTok, like all the rest, is a business, with a business model (dazzlingly successful), crunching big data and learning super-fast. There are a handful of spectacular “citizen-owned” platforms. Wikipedia is possibly the most successful. But even these require funding. I agree with your sentiments that we have seen an impressive surge in young activism, not seen perhaps since the Ant-War movements led by 18-22 year-olds in the late 60s. I think 16-30 year-olds have the energy, optimism and tech-savvy innovation to drive change. All power to them.
Hi Brendan,
Thank you for taking the take to read my paper. I will be sure to take the time to read your paper. Thank you also for the above recommendations, I will do some reading!
Interesting points you raise surrounding capitalism and the relationship between Governments and the likes of FaceBook etc… without confinements this would have been something I would have discussed further as I too believe there are a number of reasons why these relationships need to be looked at more closely.
By the way, you might find my paper on identity provocative: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/ioa/300/me-2-0-the-ability-for-individuals-to-perform-multiple-selves-online-allows-greater-freedom-than-ever-to-explore-their-identity-at-a-cost/ I look forward to your comments.
Hi Jordan,
Interesting look into social change, thanks for the read.
I agree that younger generations have been interacting less with government and authoritative institutions, instead favoring more community based environments like social media for information. But as these platforms continue to grow,I worry about the level of influence they have acquired. A billion active users dwarfs most countries and as you say TikTok has the potentially to hugely influential. While content appear to be community driven, ultimately its the corporation who can control the algorithms and what remains in the public eye. It has been a boon for political issues which, unlike governments, TikTok has less interest in controlling. I do wonder if this allows them to smother other issues.
Do you think this dependence on TikTok for information is sustainable long-term? Do you think a corporation can retain the trust of the greater public while governments could not?
I also discuss similar issues in my own paper, with a focus on Reddit. I would love to hear your thoughts:
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/onsc/357/the-burden-of-reddits-architecture-on-social-movements/
Hi Raymond,
Thank you for your comments.
I agree, the power the application holds can seem quite terrifying when you look at users for what they actually are rather than just numbers… humans.
I can’t say if I believe TikTok itself it is a sustainable long-term information source, that would depend on what the developers do with the application moving forward and how the app keeps up with market demands. However, the internet (and in turn social media) is likely to remain a sustainable long-term media source, playing a significant role in shaping society.
Governments and businesses such as TikTok are not viewed the same by individuals of society. Governments are voted in by the people and funded by the people, so the level of trust an individual puts into a Government supersedes that of an application. Initially, that is.. trust is earnt over time and through actions (what it can offer the user) but a change in something as simple as an algorithm could see users leave the platform… so again, it will be up to the application itself to deliver, otherwise it’s likely another platform will.
Thank you for sharing your paper with me, I look forward to reading it.
Hi Jordan,
This was such an interesting read! You discuss a lot of insightful points. I definitely agree with your assessment about younger generations sourcing information from non-government sources. I found this to be true particularly during the pandemic. Anytime I was looking for information about lockdowns or restrictions, Facebook and TikTok were my first source of information, and often alerted me to changes before I was even aware of them. In reading the responses to your paper, I found Raymond’s comment to be really thought-provoking. Along a similar line of questioning – how do you think misinformation and fear-mongering plays into social activism? Do you think the activism promoted on these platforms outweighs the potential for harmful misinformation to be shared to mass-audiences?
In my paper I discuss how audiences are called to action in a different way on social media – by influencers in the promotion of brands and products. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you get the chance. https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/csm/148/the-pivotal-puzz…mass-e-marketing/
Thank you! 😊
Brooke
Hi Brooke,
Thank you for reading my paper, and for your questions. You’re right about the pandemic, especially because during that time in Australia we were a bit later in the process than other countries so we were able to almost “prepare” for what to expect. TikTok and it’s ability to connect individuals like we’ve never seen before and played a really important role during the pandemic.
Fear-mongering and social activism is a huge topic, and one I find particularly interesting. Activism challenges the status quo, and often the “majorities” view on society. With the spread of information happening faster than ever so has the need for users to decipher between fact and fiction. Like you would have seen with information spread about COVID-19, platforms have the ability to filter content, particularly when it relates a trending topic amongst mass-audiences. Perhaps more of this needs to be in place?
Hi Jordan,
Isn’t it crazy how so many people have access to an app that can change so much about the world?
I think one of the questions in your essay is quite interesting, as it suggests that social media may lead to wars ending sooner. I believe that if the Afghanistan War had taken place during a time when an app like TikTok existed we would be seeing a very similar thing as to what’s happening now with Ukraine, with people sharing their experiences and fleeing the country, but I also think the social disruption may not have affected the war’s longevity as I believe political figures are unlikely to take social media apps seriously. This makes me wonder how influential can social media be on government officials making decisions on important issues? and how big of an outcry there has to be in order for them to listen?
Hi Sean,
Thank you for your comment.
Crazy to say the least, yes! I do agree with you to some degree, however I don’t think we need to be concerned about the app itself, rather the people behind the app are who the Governments need to take seriously, as they are the the ones forging social change. Whether it is TikTok or another social media platform, they are merely the form that connects us / educates us / spreads messages, TikTok’s popularity might be taken over by another platform, who knows… but the sense of dependency people are placing on these apps to spread messages and connect with each other will remain. TikTok has set a new standard for the level in which people expect to be connected these days and as a result, faith in government is being lost all together so personally, I think social media is highly influential on government officials when it comes to making key decisions.
Hi Jordan,
Interesting paper, especially around the platform of Tik Tok and political activism and advocacy. I wonder your thoughts around the activism on the platform especially due the Chinese Communist Party’s 25% ownership of the platform with its recent purchase of ByteDance shares (Tik Tok’s parent company)? Do you think this in any way would or has already effected the ways in which the platform is being used to facilitate content to users on the platform that is pro-China or otherwise hiding China related criticism due to their multiple Human Rights violations? I see this as a major concern for those who supposedly use the platform for advocacy, despite the fact that the CCP owns 25% share of the company and essentially gain information about what citizens in other countries think around certain political causes/movements. Addtionally, while the importance of having “community based outlets” for people to gather, organise and represent themselves, I’m curious as to why they only do this within online platforms instead of real life ones especially surrounding working rights such as their local union. As a union member myself it pains me to see how many young people don’t have representation in the workplace. Finally, in regards to Marx’s comments around conflict, do we really want conflict without our political movements? Not that there hasn’t been in the past of course, especially around key issues such as LGBTQIA+ rights and the Civil Rights movement, but I think there can be real more productive ways of participating in political action without this need for conflict. Obviously outside wars such as what’s happening in the Ukraine, protests and even riots have the danger to showcase the exact opposite of what they want as seen by happened with Richard Nixon and his reelection back 60’s. in the I wrote a paper about how social media platforms actually facilitate a lack of action offline in political movements and misinformation was a key point due to the nature of algorithms wanting to keep users on the platform, regardless of the content. I would love you to have a read if you get the chance as it has interesting arguments around Social Media Political Action and Advocacy. Great paper. https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/onsc/381/social-change-in-online-networks-how-social-media-facilitates-a-lack-of-action-within-real-world-political-movements/
Best Regards,
Jack
Hi Jack,
Thanks so much for your comment. Really interesting points you raised. I could talk above government control on media for days. In answer to your question, yes, recently during the Hong Kong protests, TikTok (and its government influencers) filtered content and blocked search results surrounding the matters, this was a flex of political power and ultimately showed the world what level of control their Government really does have on the application. For the Chinese people wanting to protest this would be of concern, as we have seen.
Of course, there are conspiracies that suggest the Chinese Government is utilising users personal data to to gain information about their their views on issues in other countries for negative purposes, but as they remain conspiracies, the same claims could be made for any other platform that collects personal data (regardless of what country they are from).
Conflict does not necessarily mean the act of war or violence. Conflict is inescapable, it happens every day, from conflicts in thoughts, views, opinions to physical conflicts. Social media is simply giving individuals a voice and platform for thoughts to be shared.
Cheers mate, I look forward to reading your paper.
Jordan
Hi there Jordan,
Thank you for the reply to my comment. I think in regards to “conspiracies that suggest the Chinese Government is utilising users personal data”, there have been multiple reports similar to those of ex-Facebook employees around the 2016 US Presidential election from employees who worked for Tik Tok, around the influence of ByteDance user data collection. I’m not necessarily interested in stating that one is worse or the other, I don’t think that Facebook, Twitter or any other “Western” social media platform is in any way “more ethical” than the other. The same claims have been made about other platforms as well and more importantly been proven as seen with organisations like Cambridge Analytica during Brexit. It’s not whataboutism in regards to “well Facebook is also bad” etc. It’s the argument around if the users of these platforms are aware of the happenings or ownership of these companies and despite their utilisation of them for their social movements, are they being consistent in their values, morality and ideas. Personally, I think we are in a position where social media regardless of ownership is a fantastic tool that can be used well to organise political movements, but as algorithms develop and more research comes out around ideological development through social media (none of us are immune to it), I’m curious as to how these movements will develop along with these platforms over time. Moral and principle consistency is extremely hard whether in economics, personal or public, but trying to be keep that consistency showcases a strength in your ideas and truly if you are willing to believe in what you spout.
Interesting things to discuss.
Hi Jordan
What a great read, as someone who mindlessly swipes through TikTok, it made me think a lot about how my own mind is being influenced
It is interesting how generations can be influenced, specifically how with this quick increase in social media and technology, youths now have quick access to anything where the topics are true or false (in a news sense). It is scary to think about how this can easily be used to manipulate and influence kids and teenagers into following a movement or path. I wonder what it was like in the 70s/80s/90s etc, with influence on the youth.
I am interested in your thoughts, if TikTok or some platform was exposed in some way that breaks the trust between platform and user, what effect would this have on the generation? Would users then question where they should get their information?
Interesting how you brought up the use of hashtags and Black Lives Matter. If you would like to read further about it, I wrote my paper exactly on this if you would like a read
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/onsc/1293/millennials-using-tiktok-to-promote-offline-activism-resulting-in-social-change/
sorry, here is the link to my paper:
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/onsc/1364/words-of-hope-blacklivesmatter-and-the-collective-voice-demanding-social-and-political-change-on-social-media/
Hi Michael,
Great question! I hadn’t thought too much about what activism would have looked like for children of the 70s / 80s. What I do know however, is that they wouldn’t have had access to amount of information that our youths do today. While there are many positives that come with this, there is no denying the negatives… including the potential of exposing youths to misinformation. However there are age restrictions ect on TikTok and it’s likely we will continue to see the attention of social media giants focussed on our youths. Although Instagram’s failed “Instagram for Kids” it does show us that’s where their attention is (even if they don’t have it 100% right just yet).
In answer to your question, it would be hard to truly say what would happen given we haven’t seen an application with this much influence before. However, if this were to happen it’s likely another platform would take its place.
Thank you for sharing your paper with me, it was a great read.
Jordan
I understand what you’re saying, we do live in a time where it actually is fairly easy to replace a platform now. Thank you for the read and good luck with the rest of the conference.
Wow!
Very interesting paper you have written Jordan. Often at times when I was reading it I found myself a victim of TikTok’s “extremely addictive interface”, where I find myself scrolling mindlessly through 10 second videos. This is a very well written paper with an interesting topic and I like the way you have engaged with social change with reference to this very influential social media application. In regards to the videos that are posted on TikTok about the Ukraine war and other political/societal issues it is almost like a news platform for millennials. I’m not sure if it’s just me but I feel like I almost sympathise and trust these TikTok videos about the war more than I trust the News. I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Just recently, I cam across a TikTok video where a women sneaks into the Met Gala, pretending to be a journalist. Here is the link https://www.tiktok.com/@brennalip/video/7095165408444976430
It very a very entertaining, yet had underlining educational elements and gave me an insight on an alternative view of the Met Gala which I never would have thought of if I hadn’t watched the TikTok video. I learnt about “worship of celebrity culture”, how American tax payers are paying for the celebrities to go to the event because the donations and tickets are tax rite off’s, very interesting concept. She also brings up a lot about the underpaying and extreme working conditions the service people have to face. Another concept she brings up is the clear divide between the ‘rich celebrities’ and the ‘working class peasants’ who are watching the Met from the outside almost like a scene of ‘Les Miserables’. Here’s another TikTok video which explains this concept https://www.tiktok.com/@elizabethanneventer/video/7093293971467685162.
Yes, my TikTok algorithm was popping off the last few weeks!
Hi Liv,
Thank you for your feedback!
I agree with you, I find myself watching real life experiences on TikTok and then watching my local news to see they only gave the Ukraine War a brief cross which didn’t give me even half of the amount of information I can consume within 60 seconds of being on TikTok.
Oh wow! What an interesting video, thank you for sharing. It’s interesting to see how TikTok can help facilitate the breakdown of this culture, but it seems it is only replacing it with “influencers”… I wonder whether the future will see influencers either become just the same “protected species” as celebrities or if they will facilitate the breakdown of this culture. Hopefully it’s the latter.
Cheers,
Jordan.
Thanks!
I’m glad you enjoyed watching the TikTok videos. You are so right, you can gain a fair amount of information from a short TikTok video, plus its way more engaging than the news.
Very interesting idea of ‘influencer transforming into ‘protected species’, I guess online time will tell…
Thanks, Liv
Hi Jordan,
Really enjoyed reading your paper.
It is interesting how people can be influenced by what they see online, I’d like to say that I don’t get influenced but I probably do in some ways. It was interesting to think about the ways that social media platforms may potentially influence me. I definitely think TikTok has such influence over people and how they view certain situations. Not sure if everyone else’s TikTok account is currently full of the Johnny Depp trial but mine is. And it’s so interesting to see the outcome of this trial being so public especially on TikTok, it may have convinced people who Johnny Depp and Amber Heard truly are and have such an insight into their life’s. Anyways, it is crazy to think how quick technology and social media platforms have developed and changed over the years. Do you think that these apps truly have control on an individuals opinion or views? And if this influence continues for these generations to come what will the impact of this influence look like? Will it be positive or negative?
Alani
Hi Alani,
Interesting you bring up the Depp v Heard Trial, my TikTok feed also flooded with the case! Isn’t it interesting that the same trial is being so publicly broadcasted on Australian local news as well?
I believe applications that allow users to connect the way that TikTok has gives individuals the opportunity to shape the views and opinions of others. Personally, I believe we will see this have a positive impact on society as individuals are given the power to share true experiences… it’s then up to the individual to make decisions based on the information they follow. The power remains in the hands of the content creators and those interacting with the content, not necessarily the application itself.
Cheers, Jordan.
Hi Jordan,
Great paper! really interesting read. I agree that social media platforms like Tik Tok has a great influence on people and can generate a positive result like fight for a good cause.
A question that came about as I was reading your paper, was the amount of fake media and misleading information that circulates the web. Especially on platform like Tik Tok which isn’t government regulated and has Influencers to promote and comment on certain controversial topics with no knowledge or degree of understanding to certain topics. This misinformation could lead to some risks when fighting for a cause?
What are your opinions on this ?
Once again great paper!
Cheers,
Lorena
Hi Lorena,
Thank you for taking the time to read my paper.
There’s no denying the spread of misinformation on social media, this has been happening since the internet was first introduced to society. However, it seems that as individuals we place a lot of responsibility on the platforms to filter the content we see but then when they do, we accuse them of being over-controlling. Finding a balance is what large social media corporations are currently working towards. We’ve seen them take actions such as filtering COVID-19 information and censoring of offensive content. However what I believe makes individuals trust the content they see on TikTok more than other platforms is the fact that it’s quite difficult to alter a video, and very easy to share raw (even live) content.
Thanks again,
Jordan.
Hi Jordan,
What a great paper! I am an avid TikTok user (more than I would like to admit) and during things like the war in Ukraine, I saw so much information and was actually exposed to real life videos of the devastating war that took place. As social media is great for getting information out there on a global scale, it can then create an environment for false information to be spread. I remember when the bushfires were rampant over east, there were so many links for people to donate to, and unfortunately so many fake gofundme’s were made, as people found a way to trick uneducated people into giving them money. Do you think it’s better that these non government regulated apps like TikTok are allowed to spread all this quick form information to such a large audience? What sort of rules do you think there should be in place to spread such important information if any? I know Instagram has a fact checking function now? Would love to hear your thoughts, again awesome paper you did a great job 🙂
Cheers,
-J
Hi Jessica,
Thank you for your feedback.
There are certainly regulations in place that prevent the spread of misinformation, but given TikTok’s global reach this information can be spread faster than the application is able to take the content down. Perhaps stricter penalties are needed for those that intentionally create false or misleading information, or more AI filtering on content is needed. In instances like the example you mentioned, it amazes me how are people so trusting with websites, to the point where they are willing to provide their bank account details and money to it.
Thanks again,
Jordan
Hi Jordan,
Great article, very though provoking as is evident from all the comments above.
I certainly agree that these platforms offer many oppoturnties for learning about social issues and becoming politally engaged for young people. However, I cannot help think about recent articles that have highlighted how Tiktok’s algorithm discriminates against certian groups such as those living with disabilities or those speaking critically of China, and how this must influence what issues the general public choose to be actively engaged with, especially when so many of us are getting our news from these platforms. I also think for the impacts of social change to felt amongst marginalized communties there has to be changes within the government also, if we take #BlackLivesMatter for example; a lot more people are now aware of the systematic racism black people face in America (and arguabley around the world) thanks to platforms like Tiktok but America still has judicial system made up of laws and policies that have a disproportionate racial impact, as well as biased decision making by justice system workers that leads to higher rates of arrest and incarceration in communities of colour. So do you think we need to be using social media to encourage young people to become involved in challnging governments on such issues through voting and campaigning to those in power through political means outside of the web?
Cheers and again, great work!
Robyn
Hi Jordan, this was such an interesting paper. You elaborated on various exciting points, and I agree with you that the younger generation tends to use social media as a source of information rather than official sites. I experienced this during the covid-19 pandemic, where most of the information I was searching on covid-19 was either on Facebook, TikTok or Instagram. These platforms were more up to date than official governmental sites.
You can read my paper below:
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/csm/374/social-media-helped-in-creating-terror-and-panic-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-mauritius/
Thank you.
Hi Jordan,
Tiktok is a very popular social media nowadays, and I think you did a great job in pointing out its facts. However, research shows that the majority of U.S Tiktok users are mostly adolescents, which are those between the age of 10-19. Moreover, I notice that everyone can share anything they want on TikTok, and some even share misleading information to society. As active Tiktok users, the majority of Tiktok’s content was a dance, challenges, pranks, or games, which are used for the purpose of entertainment. If the majority of Tiktok’s users are adolescents, who are in the phase of learning and development, and they use it for entertainment purposes, do you think that Tiktok will still be the best platform to promote online activism compared to the other social media platform? Thank you!
source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1095186/tiktok-us-users-age/
Hey,
Really enjoyed reading your paper,
It’s so interesting how powerful social media applications can be in providing information we can’t access in other places and creates a place for social movements and social change. Do you think the great influx of fake news is dangerous when it comes to this though and people are instantly believing what they see from a 30 second video?