TikTok Made Me Gay: Digital Networks and Information Activism on Queer(ed) Platforms

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.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication

Grantor dc:publisher

Carleton University

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Gleason, Claudia Kathren

Statement 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. 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.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

10.22215/etd/2023-15618

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:carleton.scholaris.ca:20.500.14718/40826