{"id":{"repo_id":"carleton","oai_identifier":"oai:carleton.scholaris.ca:20.500.14718/40826"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/carleton/oai:carleton.scholaris.ca:20.500.14718/40826","repository":{"repo_id":"carleton","name":"Carleton University","base_url":"https://carleton.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"TikTok Made Me Gay: Digital Networks and Information Activism on Queer(ed) Platforms","abstract":"In March 2020, the world was altered by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw the forced isolation of millions. Particularly vulnerable to the effects of seclusion, queer youth were forced to rely on digital infrastructure while potentially isolating in unsafe spaces. In tandem with the pandemic, Gen Z flocked to TikTok to engage in escapism amidst the global crisis to partake in trends, comedic content, and explanatory-like videos. Considering these two simultaneous occurrences, this research uses a triangular approach of autoethnography, hashtag analysis, and the reading of popular articles to examine how queer Users locate each other on TikTok through acts of queer signalling. Further, it identifies three outcomes of queer identification on the platform: the reinforcement of one’s identity, the spread of information, and the formation of a collective. Ultimately, the networks forged on the platform show how a new generation engages in digital resistance.","abstract_html":"In March 2020, the world was altered by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw the forced isolation of millions. Particularly vulnerable to the effects of seclusion, queer youth were forced to rely on digital infrastructure while potentially isolating in unsafe spaces. In tandem with the pandemic, Gen Z flocked to TikTok to engage in escapism amidst the global crisis to partake in trends, comedic content, and explanatory-like videos. Considering these two simultaneous occurrences, this research uses a triangular approach of autoethnography, hashtag analysis, and the reading of popular articles to examine how queer Users locate each other on TikTok through acts of queer signalling. Further, it identifies three outcomes of queer identification on the platform: the reinforcement of one’s identity, the spread of information, and the formation of a collective. Ultimately, the networks forged on the platform show how a new generation engages in digital resistance.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gleason, Claudia Kathren"],"institution":"Carleton University","degree_name":"Master of Arts (M.A.)","degree_level":"Master's","degree_discipline":"Communication","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023","date_published":"2023","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:34:43Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright © 2023 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, distribution to students, research and scholarship. Theses may only be shared by linking to the Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be copied without proper attribution to the author; no part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["10.22215/etd/2023-15618"],"render_values":[{"text":"10.22215/etd/2023-15618","href":"https://doi.org/10.22215/etd/2023-15618","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14718/40826","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gleason, Claudia Kathren"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-04-08T20:07:40Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-04-08T20:07:40Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2023"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Carleton University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Communication"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (M.A.)"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright © 2023 the author(s). 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Theses may only be shared by linking to the Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be copied without proper attribution to the author; no part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["10.22215/etd/2023-15618"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14718/40826"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In March 2020, the world was altered by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw the forced isolation of millions. Particularly vulnerable to the effects of seclusion, queer youth were forced to rely on digital infrastructure while potentially isolating in unsafe spaces. In tandem with the pandemic, Gen Z flocked to TikTok to engage in escapism amidst the global crisis to partake in trends, comedic content, and explanatory-like videos. Considering these two simultaneous occurrences, this research uses a triangular approach of autoethnography, hashtag analysis, and the reading of popular articles to examine how queer Users locate each other on TikTok through acts of queer signalling. Further, it identifies three outcomes of queer identification on the platform: the reinforcement of one’s identity, the spread of information, and the formation of a collective. Ultimately, the networks forged on the platform show how a new generation engages in digital resistance."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["TikTok Made Me Gay: Digital Networks and Information Activism on Queer(ed) Platforms"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Gleason, Claudia Kathren"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-04-08T20:07:40Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-04-08T20:07:40Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2023"],"dc:description.abstract":["In March 2020, the world was altered by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw the forced isolation of millions. Particularly vulnerable to the effects of seclusion, queer youth were forced to rely on digital infrastructure while potentially isolating in unsafe spaces. In tandem with the pandemic, Gen Z flocked to TikTok to engage in escapism amidst the global crisis to partake in trends, comedic content, and explanatory-like videos. Considering these two simultaneous occurrences, this research uses a triangular approach of autoethnography, hashtag analysis, and the reading of popular articles to examine how queer Users locate each other on TikTok through acts of queer signalling. Further, it identifies three outcomes of queer identification on the platform: the reinforcement of one’s identity, the spread of information, and the formation of a collective. Ultimately, the networks forged on the platform show how a new generation engages in digital resistance."],"dc:identifier.doi":["10.22215/etd/2023-15618"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14718/40826"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Carleton University"],"dc:rights":["Copyright © 2023 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, distribution to students, research and scholarship. 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