TikTok Ethnography Workshop

The world of TikTok is one which fascinates many. It has been a source of information, humour and distraction throughout the pandemic. At a time when most of us were forced to be home for large periods of time, the digital door was the only one we could access to step into the outside world and interact with the everyday.

The beginning of the lockdown and the pandemic saw a huge explosion in the number of TikTok downloads. Why did this app suddenly become so popular during this period? Why were people reporting a sense of intimacy with their algorithm? Why were TikToker’s organising political rallies and protests using the app? Why were people dancing in their rooms? As the world has reopened, how has the way that people us TikTok changed?

In this workshop we will draw on work and methodologies developed by the TikTok Ethnography Collective to explore these questions, and more. Students from all programmes - 1st year, 2nd year, 3rd year, masters and PhD students, are encouraged to join this workshop, and should they wish, are invited to join a collaborative research project that aims to explore the world of TikTok ethnographically.

This workshop is organised by the TikTok Ethnography Collective in collaboration with the Centre for Digital Anthropology.