Blog
Call for Chapter Abstracts
Unexpectedly Viral: Ethnographic Explorations of TikTok.
Editors: Elena Liber (UCL) & Yathukulan Yogarajah (Goldsmiths)
Key words: TikTok; Digital Anthropology; Collaborative Methods; Social Media; Digital Storytelling
The Covid-19 pandemic precipitated a huge explosion in the number of people using the social media, micro-vlogging platform TikTok. It has 1 billion active users, 41% of which are between the ages of 16 – 24. Videos shown are curated by what is often referred to simply as ‘the Algorithm’, a constant source of fascination, and social and theoretical reflection. TikTok has become increasingly important as a medium for many people to unpack diverse issues such as migration, gender, race, sex, climate change, our relationship to nature, colonial history – staples of anthropological discussion. TikTok has been used to organise protests, discuss silenced colonial histories, and disrupt political rallies. Most recently, TikTok has been a key medium of communication and discussion about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the overturning of Roe vs. Wade in the United States. It is a social media platform where seemingly anyone can go unexpectedly viral overnight. Moreover, TikTok provides a complex cultural landscape and moral economy, with its own language, customs, rituals, self-making and kinning strategies. TikTok is ripe for anthropological reflection.
This peer-reviewed volume will explore the many ways in which TikTok is engaged with, theorised, and navigated by those who use it. It will engage with current discussions about how social media platforms are shaped by those who use them (Miller et. al, 2012), ongoing conversations about the role of algorithms in shaping everyday life (Amoor and Piotukh, 2016; Noble, 2018), digital narration and life storying, questions of the self (Boellstorff, 2008), as well as conversations about digital methodologies. This collection will open new theoretical, methodological, and ethnographic conversations about the many ways we can engage with TikTok ethnographically. In doing so, this timely volume will contribute new innovative methodological perspectives to the study of TikTok and Digital Anthropology more broadly.
We invite chapter proposals (approx. 500 words) addressing the theme of the book to be sent to the editors (e.liber@lse.ac.uk; yyoga001@gold.ac.uk) by October 14, 2022. The proposals should describe the ethnographic context, and theoretical and methodological framework of the planned chapter, along with a short biographical statement. Prospective authors will be informed of decisions by November 4, 2022. The deadline for the first version of article manuscripts is April 4th 2023.
The book proposal will be sent with abstracts to an international academic publisher in December 2022 and the collection of articles will be sent for peer review in Summer 2023.
Collective TikTok Reflections.
This post is a series of brief reflections on twenty minutes of FYP (For You Page) engagement from different members of our project.
We invite comments and submissions of your own from this prompt:
Take ten to twenty minutes to watch videos from your For You Page. When you have finished, take roughly ten minutes to reflect upon your experience.
This could take the form of a drawing, written text, or perhaps a poem. Any format is encouraged
Additionally, there is a short montage depicting a collection of For You Pages, which could also be considered for use as a material for the prompt above, should you not have a TikTok account.
This visual representation of FYPs may serve as insight into the different experiences of using TikTok, whilst potential revealing the different ‘digital twins’ produced through ‘The Algorithm’.
Harry:
This is a reflection on watching my FYP (for you page) for 15 minutes.
The thing I felt most was boredom! This is quite unusual, but I feel as though having a break from TikTok has led to the algorithm refiguring my tastes again. [Perhaps as a means to ‘recapture’ me]. I had an absolutely vast amount of videos highlighting American vs British differences. I’m really not sure why, but today it felt like somebody else’s algorithm and I did not find it enjoyable at all.
There was also a large focus on teachers, and also English teachers in the U.S. Maybe the algorithm way just trying something out, but it did not land. The #postiesoftiktok tag provided something possibly interesting in documenting the experiences of Royal Mail Employees. Through noting down what each video was about I am once again shocked at the diversity of topics, and also shocked at myself for not finding any really engaging. Perhaps it is this overwhelming diversity of topics which means none were really impactful in the context of each other.
It feels pretty funny that in taking the time for this exercise I had one of the most mundane and boring TikTok interactions ever. I think the thoughts of ‘breaking up with my algorithm’ are definitely coming through for me, as I have been pigeonholed in this space obsessed with British American relations, construction, teachers, and Covid.
Then again, that cat rapper video was pretty good…
James:
there is a morning fog in the Tik-Tok mirror
I can hardly see myself
parametrization predictions pass by
binary blood doesn’t quite reach my heart
glance
glance
shadow dance
feed the feed for mimesis
traced archetypes
rote learning
my digital twin is fraternal
-user1671362066204
Yathu:
Below is an excerpt from an exercise of watching my TikTok video live on zoom with 8 other people. We watched my feed for 5 minutes, and then wrote about any thoughts we had 5 minutes after.
I suddenly became aware of every video. It felt like every video contained a remnant of my personality, and identity. Even though that is not how the algorithm works. It gives you video every now and again that it does not know if you would like; it tests your boundaries.
It was weird to see so many ‘business guru’ kind of videos I get and watch. I get that. That is totally me, I enjoy thinking through these business ideas, and ideas of value present in them.
The Dogecoin video was the funniest by far. ‘Get rid of the ‘Fa’. Hilarious. TikTok at its best when it knows me. Also didn’t realise how I get so many sports videos. That makes sense.
Emily:
· Zodiac Sign related videos.
· Mature content POV’s.
· The odd dog video and or comedy skit.
· BookTok content.
I decided to browse my ‘for you’ page instead of WitchTok for this exercise. I still received a few #witch, #witchtok videos. Majority of my ‘for you’ page however was filled with some incredibly dark and gloomy content. I watched a lot of Zodiac videos that were assigning things such as mental health issues, monsters, toxic traits and so on, to specific signs. Giving an aura of negative around my feed. Almost as though my algorithm perceives me as being someone interested in dark content. Another video that disturbed me was a POV, it was focusing on pregnancy, rather disturbingly an unwanted one and what ‘you’ would do. I hope not to see more like that.
What really upset me was that I felt like I was being shared these negative videos because my interest in the Witch community that uses TikTok, I felt as if the app was imposing this negative connotation against the word. I find myself wondering if the word witch will forever has this overbearing shadow that follows it, even into the age of technology.
Despite all the dark content my TikTok gives me I still feel as though it is trying to bait me away from these darker corners. Luring me with bright colours and cute animals or attractive people. Fishing me away from the #witch and #witchtok.
Doodles are related to some imagery I saw during my scrolling.
What is the nature of your relationship to the TikTok algorithm?
Harry:
I think there are many similarities and metaphors between inter-human relationships and those to ‘The Algorithm’. The Algorithm is spoken about in a personified manner, something which cannot be observed with other social media algorithms. It feels as though there is a deeply ‘human-like’ artificial presence in the TikTok algorithm as it attempts to please you with content that’s tailor-made.
This relationship aspect is further realised when considering the desires to find a whole new algorithm, to ‘break-up with your algorithm’ as Georgia said. I feel as though ‘taking a break’ from our relationship only led The Algorithm to pursue me with more intensity. It reevaluated what I may want from this relationship and changed its habits, the content it shared. Unfortunately, the harder The Algorithm attempted to get a hold of my interests, the more I slipped through its fingers as I withdrew further. Notifications were ignored and I was less interested in maintaining this exchange.
It was only once I gave my relationship some nourishment, in the form of data produced by a #tagged video I uploaded and received significant engagement from, that the spark came back. We once more exist in a symbiotic state of information exchange. The Algorithm provides me with content, and I provide it with data.
Like any relationship, it clearly requires maintenance from both sides.
Emily:
I have previous written of my algorithm feeling like a fishing line, trying to pull me into a different part of TikTok. Briefly made me think of it like a friend, wanting to share with you a TV series that they enjoy and want you to enjoy too. However, as I think of this idea, being in a relationship with my algorithm, I realise it is no friend. It is an ‘other’, an entity that watches me and reads my thoughts but doesn’t fully comprehend me. It misinterprets me.
Is that a relationship? Or is it an influence?
I do not believe I currently hold a relationship with my algorithm but more that it holds and influence upon me. Often prodding and poking me with the new trend or latest song, adapting my ‘for you’ page constantly almost like it is saying to me ‘look, a new craze…try it…join my group.’
In previous conversations many have asked me ‘do you have TikTok?’, ‘do you know this dance?’, ‘did you see this video?’. I wonder if perhaps TikTok is more than app now, but a connection tool that can isolate some if they do not have it. Still makes me wonder if one can have a singular relationship with the algorithm or if it is more acting as a ‘hive mind’…