Social Media, Communities, & Networks Conference 2026: Semester 1 & SP1

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One response to “Conditional Belonging: Youth, TikTok and LEGO Communities – Jack Fenton 20191227”

1. 

   Jin Lee

   07/05/2026

   Hi Jack,
   Great work on lego fandom here! I really enjoyed your presentation.

   I have three questions I’d like to ask.
   1. From what I understand, the Lego fandom has existed for quite some time, well before TikTok emerged. Do you think the Lego fandom on TikTok, or popular TikTok genres like Lego ASMR and Lego time-lapse videos you showed, have influenced the existing Lego fandom culture or changed a bit in a certain way, especially considering TikTok’s vernacular centred on short-form video and virality?

   2. I’m curious to know more about how this fandom actually relates to youth – your chosen topic. Could you explain more on how the Lego fandom on TikTok supports youth and impacts their sense of community or the way they form bonds more specifically around youth identity (as opposed to adults)?

   3. Building on Q2, your argument about ‘conditional belonging’ is really insightful. Could you expand on how this concept shapes the ways young people connect and interact within the Lego fandom on TikTok? Specifically, how might these conditions influence their sense of inclusion or exclusion, and what effects could this have on their overall sense of belonging in relation to unique aspects of youth. Many studies address the importance of communities for children’s development and wellbeing; so I wonder how TikTok’s such ‘conditionality’ around its affordances might impact youth peer cultures.

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