Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TKTKGEN (TikTok and Generation Z: Online Participation and Identification in China and Italy)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-01-01 bis 2022-12-31
The fastest growing social media application video-sharing social network TikTok (known as “Douyin” in China) epitomises what may be described as a second generation of social media, ensuing after the first wave of the 2000s and 2010s. Compared to text-based first wave social media such as Facebook and Twitter, it is marked by the dominance of audio-visual content, by light-hearted and often goofy videos, dance crazes, in which users imitate the funny dance moves popularised by celebrities or young “dubsmashers”, lip-sync to the tune of famous pop music songs or participate in all sorts of video-recorded “internet challenges” and related “trends”. How are video-sharing social networks such as TikTok modifying forms of online participation and sense of group belonging among youth?
The TKTKGEN project studies the use of TikTok and Douyin as a means to explore the culture and ethos of the generation Z comprising those born since the late 1990s. It has been speculated that the turn of young people towards TikTok reflects a suspicion towards first generation social media sites. Furthermore, Tiktok is often presented as a less confrontational space vis-à-vis the more raucous atmosphere associated with such social media as Facebook and Twitter. However, there is little systematic research about what motivates young users and how their style of participation differs from that of first generation social media. The TKTKGEN project fills this gap in knowledge by exploring the new style of online participation and connected forms of identification on video-sharing sites focusing on the case of TikTok and its use by young people in China and Italy, exploring the motivations for participation and user behaviour associated with this platform. In so doing the project advances the understanding of how social media platforms are reshaping processes of identification and belonging among youth on a very influential yet still understudied digital platform.
The TKTKGEN project studies the use of TikTok and Douyin as a means to explore the culture and ethos of the generation Z comprising those born since the late 1990s. It has been speculated that the turn of young people towards TikTok reflects a suspicion towards first generation social media sites. Furthermore, Tiktok is often presented as a less confrontational space vis-à-vis the more raucous atmosphere associated with such social media as Facebook and Twitter. However, there is little systematic research about what motivates young users and how their style of participation differs from that of first generation social media. The TKTKGEN project fills this gap in knowledge by exploring the new style of online participation and connected forms of identification on video-sharing sites focusing on the case of TikTok and its use by young people in China and Italy, exploring the motivations for participation and user behaviour associated with this platform. In so doing the project advances the understanding of how social media platforms are reshaping processes of identification and belonging among youth on a very influential yet still understudied digital platform.
Over the course of the first year of the TKTKGEN Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action project I have made progress towards the training, research, publication and dissemination and communcation objectives of the project.
I have
- Completed the theoretical and methodological sections of the project to be used in the journal articles
- Prepared a first draft of 2 of the 4 journal articles (Article 1. And Article 2.). Article 2 has already been accepted for publication as part of the edited collection Politics of TikTok. Article 1 has not been submitted yet.
- Attended online courses at Fudan University and seminars and conferences at Scuola Normale Superiore, thus making solid progress on the training component of the project
- Worked towards communication of the research project (op-eds, and TV and radio) and dissemination of research results through participation at various seminars and conferences
- Made preparatory work towards conducting the interviews and surveys
I have
- Completed the theoretical and methodological sections of the project to be used in the journal articles
- Prepared a first draft of 2 of the 4 journal articles (Article 1. And Article 2.). Article 2 has already been accepted for publication as part of the edited collection Politics of TikTok. Article 1 has not been submitted yet.
- Attended online courses at Fudan University and seminars and conferences at Scuola Normale Superiore, thus making solid progress on the training component of the project
- Worked towards communication of the research project (op-eds, and TV and radio) and dissemination of research results through participation at various seminars and conferences
- Made preparatory work towards conducting the interviews and surveys
The project aims at exploring the forms of participation and community belonging emerging on TikTok/Douyin vis-a-vis the first generation of social media (in particular platforms such as Twitter and Facebook), elucidating both the kind of cultural codes that are prevalent on this platform and the motivation guiding users. In so doing it aims at creating knowledge on video-sharing platforms that while being widely diffused especially among young people continue to be understudied relative to other platforms. Besides, exploring the kind of content that is produced on these platforms, the aim is to develop an understanding of the motivations of young users and how they bespeak different generational attitudes and experienes olde age cohorts.
Over the course of the first year of the project, progress has been made towards these objectives by 1) developing a critical assessment of the existing literature on the transformation of participation and digital participation in the era of video-sharing websites; 2) conducting “walkthrough analysis” of the content available on Douyin and TikTok with specific attentin to the different genres, contents, and cultural codes available on these platforms; 3) performing focused research on practices related to belonging and sense of place in the case of China and the Douyin platform (the Chinese name for TikTok).
The initial phase of the research has set the contexts for performing the research on TikTok users that will be conducted over the course of Year 2 which will focus on interviews and surveys. The initial phase of the research has also allowed for the development of a series of working hypotheses that will be ascertained by conducting interviews and surveys in China and Italy. In particular
1. The more entertainment-oriented and light-hearted character of Douyin and TikTok vis-a-vis first-generation social media carries a more optimistic and positive tuning of content (mainly stemming from the prevalence of genres as lip-syncing and dance crazes that often involve an element of self-irony) compared to text-based platforms while the presence of toxic and aggressive content is less frequent as it does not chide with the prevalent ethos of the platform. This carries important consequences also for the platform's use for social and political purposes.
2. The style of participation on the platform is more reactive than interactive ,and passive compared to text-based social media due to the nature of the interactive short video. There are some evident similarities with TV reception. This largely stems from the affordances of the platform and the greater amount of energy/and social exposure to be expended for the purpose of creating a video, when compared for example for writing a short text for Twitter or posting a photo. Further, an important element of participation consists in imitation and reinterpretation of existing trends, rather than creation of completely new content. This may have an important bearing on processes of identification that are conveyed by this platform.
Over the course of the first year of the project, progress has been made towards these objectives by 1) developing a critical assessment of the existing literature on the transformation of participation and digital participation in the era of video-sharing websites; 2) conducting “walkthrough analysis” of the content available on Douyin and TikTok with specific attentin to the different genres, contents, and cultural codes available on these platforms; 3) performing focused research on practices related to belonging and sense of place in the case of China and the Douyin platform (the Chinese name for TikTok).
The initial phase of the research has set the contexts for performing the research on TikTok users that will be conducted over the course of Year 2 which will focus on interviews and surveys. The initial phase of the research has also allowed for the development of a series of working hypotheses that will be ascertained by conducting interviews and surveys in China and Italy. In particular
1. The more entertainment-oriented and light-hearted character of Douyin and TikTok vis-a-vis first-generation social media carries a more optimistic and positive tuning of content (mainly stemming from the prevalence of genres as lip-syncing and dance crazes that often involve an element of self-irony) compared to text-based platforms while the presence of toxic and aggressive content is less frequent as it does not chide with the prevalent ethos of the platform. This carries important consequences also for the platform's use for social and political purposes.
2. The style of participation on the platform is more reactive than interactive ,and passive compared to text-based social media due to the nature of the interactive short video. There are some evident similarities with TV reception. This largely stems from the affordances of the platform and the greater amount of energy/and social exposure to be expended for the purpose of creating a video, when compared for example for writing a short text for Twitter or posting a photo. Further, an important element of participation consists in imitation and reinterpretation of existing trends, rather than creation of completely new content. This may have an important bearing on processes of identification that are conveyed by this platform.