De TikTok-generatie: Hoe gemarginaliseerde groepen socialiseren in hun online community

Abstract

Present studies about social media try to understand what influences social media platforms have, but the effects of specific communities on these platforms remain underexposed. Also, the influence of the relatively new platform TikTok lacks research, especially towards learning. The present study explores how online communities on TikTok can contribute to the socialization of adolescents. Therefore, eleven participants aged 15 to 22 were interviewed, via an online semi structured interview. All participants followed and responded in the TikTok-community of Chloé Hayden or Paige Layle. Concretely, the study researched how adolescents perceive online communities, socialization and the influence of specific creators on their socialization. The results show that almost all participants felt part of a community. Furthermore, all participants felt they were more open-minded and self-accepting because of the online communities on TikTok. Most participants perceive themselves as more activistic now than before being part of the community. Derived from these results, we believe that the creator and its community have a positive influence on the socialization process of its followers. The creator is perceived as a role model and the respondents share what they have learned in the community with the people outside the community. The results implicate that social media could be a useful tool in education, although more research should be done towards this.