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Abstract

Online forums are redefining how we view communities (Hampton, 2016). Some marginalised communities are better suited to the kind of interaction that occurs on social media than more traditional face-to-face mechanisms (Hiebert & Kortes-Miller, 2021). One such group are hobbyists dubbed ‘geeks’, individuals who engage in their hobbies of escapism and fictional worlds beyond what is considered a normal level. This paper explores how the social media platform TikTok evolved as a haven for geeks at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, and how communities have emerged centered around the collaborative world of online roleplay.

 

Introduction

The increasing popularity of social media is continually changing how we conceptualise communities and social interaction (Hampton, 2016). Face-to-face interaction is being replaced or at the very least subsidised by online text chats, video sharing, and commenting (Hampton & Wellman, 2018). A community is no longer bound by location, like a neighbourhood, or by periodic face-to-face interaction, like a sporting club. Instead, communities can be comprised of dozens of individuals from around the globe finding common ground on online platforms (Papadopoulos et al., 2011). In particular, the short-video platform TikTok has rapidly increased in popularity over the last six years, accruing over 3 billion downloads (Iqbal, 2022). TikTok has many uses, including in the areas of education, brand marketing, and political discourse (Lee, 2022; Brooks et al., 2022; Gray, 2021). The current paper discusses TikTok as a haven for marginalised individuals, whose community participation in real life is often limited by societal stigma.

 

The rejection of ‘geeks’ from mainstream society is not a novel concept (Cross, 2005). Here we discuss ‘geeks’ as those with niche hobbies and interests that are often stigmatised, such as cosplay, live-action roleplay, tabletop roleplay games, and fanfiction (Lunning, 2022). These individuals engage in imagined worlds beyond what is considered ‘normal’, which is often addressed with schoolyard bullying, family pressure, or harassment (Cross, 2005). Here these individuals often turn online, where they have wider access to like-minded individuals and are protected behind screens of anonymity (Hiebert & Kortes-Miller, 2021). On Tiktok, a worldwide community of these geeks engage in collaborative storytelling in the form of online roleplay, organised through hashtags such as ‘Hogwarts Professors’ and networks of videos. Roleplay involves an individual assuming a ‘role’ or character to explore a scenario or situation (Warland & Smith, 2012). Online roleplay takes place on social media, such as text chats, comments, or video format. This paper discusses geeks turning to online roleplay to engage in creativity and prosocial interaction that builds tight knit online communities. Further, unique features of TikTok have facilitated the formation of niche communities as havens for geeks.

 

Origins of Online Roleplay

Roleplay and online adaptations of roleplay have been used in education and corporate training for decades (Warland & Smith, 2012; McLaughlan et al., 2001). It allows assessors to create a fictional scenario to teach real-world skills or assess competency (McLaughlan et al., 2001). At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide lockdowns saw an unprecedented level of social isolation (Ingram et al., 2021). People had to develop new ways of working, interacting, and expressing creativity. One such way was the emergence of a very different form of online roleplay. When the world shut down, many geeks lost socially acceptable outlets for their hobbies. Conventions, cosplay meetups, live action roleplay events, festivals and book meetings were all cancelled, in some regions for years. Many individuals instead turned to TikTok to cosplay, roleplay, and create collaborative story.

 

Online roleplay in the geek area is not new, with many Facebook groups and blogs existing for text-chat roleplay. COVID-19 saw a spike in popularity for video based online roleplay through TikTok. One of the earliest trends was the collaborative world known as ‘Hogwarts Professors’ (O’Brien, 2019). Participants created their own original characters that fit into the fictional world of Harry Potter. They then created videos of themselves in costume, roleplaying as that character. The videos would then be commented on and replied to in video form by others in the same shared universe. What started as geeks in isolation finding ways to be creative turned into a worldwide collaborative universe with complex plot and character arcs. The story that unfolded belonged equally to every participant, who had equal stake in the direction of their character and the shared story.

 

Similarly, numerous TikTok Taverns have emerged, perhaps most notably with The Rosewood Inn (Jade, 2021). Here, a central account acts as a medieval tavern, inviting adventurers into the space with roleplay prompts. Other creators use these prompts to facilitate their story, weaving together around the central location. Most recently, a humongous community has emerged around an online roleplay game called ‘NPC Risk’ (NPCriskOfficial, 2022). The game takes place on TikTok, has thousands of participants, its own rules and scoring system, and an associated Discord server. This paper discusses the mechanisms of TikTok that allow online communities for roleplay such as these to evolve. This paper will also discuss features of the communities themselves.

 

Mechanisms

Online roleplay forums like Hogwarts Professors, The Rosewood Inn, and NPC Risk have attracted millions of participants and viewers. There are a number of mechanisms unique to TikTok that have contributed to online roleplay being such a large success on the platform. The first is the high level of accessibility when it comes to creating content. Unlike other platforms, content can very easily be produced and edited with nothing but a phone. It is not expected to have a professional camera or microphone in production, although this does happen. The line between creator and consumer is blurred and easily crossed, lending to highly two-way interaction instead of the one-way interaction seen in forums such as TV. This factor of accessibility made it possible for so many geeks to turn to TikTok for their creative outlets at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown. It also means those with disabilities or mobility issues who might struggle to participate in regular geek events (conventions, live action roleplay events etc.) can participate from the safety of their own home.

 

Second is the highly revolutionary predictive algorithm (Wang, 2022). TikTok’s algorithm boosts videos to people with shared interests, making it especially effective for those with niche interests such as cosplay or online roleplay (Wang, 2022). Suggested videos tailored to an individual are shown on a ‘For You Page’, where a viewer can select to ‘Follow’ an account to view their content regularly. The For You Page is highly effective at helping individuals discover content creators within their interests, while the follow page allows for regular interaction. These functions make it highly efficient to build networks of individuals with the same interests and provide a forum for engaging interaction.

 

From there, the Duet and Stitch options also allow for unique opportunities of interaction and roleplay (Tan et al., 2022). The Duet option involves filming a video side by side an existing video so when posted they play at the same time (Tan et al., 2022). The Stitch function involves filming a video to be posted after an existing video, such as to answer a question or reply to an idea (Tan et al., 2022). The app also allows the usual functions such as commenting on videos, as well as more unique functions such as being able to reply to comments with a video. These features all encourage a high level of interaction between users. Discussions can stretch across many individuals, over many accounts and videos in a highly networked manner. This complex network of interaction provides the backbone for many communities of online roleplayers.

 

TikTok’s functions have been so widely successful that other social media competitors have created copycat programs for the iconic short form, Youtube’s Shorts and Meta’s Reels, respectively. These factors of accessibility, algorithms grouping those with niche interests, and functions of interaction between users have formed the pathway for a diverse community of online roleplayers.

 

Community

Online community spaces have been theorised as particularly meaningful to individuals who are for one reason, or another marginalised in their home society (Hiebert & Kortes-Miller, 2021). It creates a space for individuals to seek information that is not readily discussed due to stigma in day-to-day life. Online anonymity means individuals can engage in topics and behaviour they otherwise might not be able to without social repercussions. Hiebert and Kortes-Miller (2021) discusses this in the context of LGBTQIA+ safe spaces on social media, but the current study will extend these principles to geeks, often marginalised due to their hobbies and interests.

 

The kind of person who participates in online roleplay is a diverse category. Some individuals have backgrounds in cosplay, replicating costumes of their favourite characters to attend conventions. Live action roleplayers create original characters to engage in experiences not unlike improvised theatre. Fanfiction writers adapt existing creative worlds and write content adding their own flavour. All three, and many other individuals like it, are considered deviant from normal behaviour and is often addressed with ostracisation (Lunning, 2022). Moreso, the COVID-19 lockdowns prevented them from participating in their hobbies face-to-face, so they instead adapted to online. Shared universes arose online that, thank you to the accessibility and functions of TikTok, anyone with a phone could participate in, from anywhere in the globe.

 

McMillan and Chavis (1986) were the first to operationalise the psychological sense of community, referring to one’s experience of community. This paper discusses the online roleplay community through the elements of membership, fulfillment of needs, influence, and shared emotional connection proposed by McMillan and Chavis (1986). Membership in these online roleplay communities is highly accessible, as earlier discussed. However, it does distinguish in-group and out-group by interests and participation. To be included, one must have an interest in the shared story universe, create a character, and interact with the content, whether by commenting or making videos. Participation marks an immediate reward of responses from other roleplayers, acting as an active marker for membership. Many geeks turned to online roleplay due to the absence of in person events during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Online roleplay communities turned into the sole way for geeks to cosplay, create, and socialise with one another about their interests. It became a rewarding experience in and of itself that resulted in a record of collaborative story that could be viewed by others. It became an avenue to fulfil many needs, including social connection, expression of creativity, and connection based on mutual understanding.

 

Influence is highly multi-directional, with each participant acting as an equal player with equal influence over the story and direction of the shared universe. Creators make videos of their own characters, which are commented on or duetted to add to it, which is then replied in turn and so on. Interaction took many forms, from back-and-forth exchanges between two creators, long chains of individuals adding to each other’s work, or a group scene involving many commenters and video creators. Multi-directional influence gave participants a sense of meaning, agency, and togetherness. Finally, this equality built a shared emotional connection where many individuals separated in space were invested over a shared story. No one participant knew the outcome or the next turn of the story, so all shared in the suspense and discovery of each released piece of the puzzle.

 

Conclusion

The factors of McMillan and Chavis’ (1986) sense of community are without a doubt fulfilled. This theory provides a framework to understand the complex and rewarding experience that geeks find in the community of online roleplay. From there, connections are formed, friendships that move outside of the communication on TikTok and onto other platforms. Face-to-face meetups to create content started to happen after lockdowns, and the stories created meant thousands of people could view and share in the experience. Social media without a doubt has its flaws; brands preying on unsuspecting users, political groups spreading hate, harm reinforced with stereotypes in beauty and fitness to name a few. However, this paper has discussed that for a certain group, in a certain corner of the internet, a haven of creativity and community can be found. On TikTok individuals that are rejected and ostracised by mainstream society can find like-minded individuals and share in building a universe of online roleplay together.

 

References

 

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