TikTok Capitalism: The Attention Economy and the Reproduction of Capitalism
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Date
2023-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
The following thesis argues that while social media platforms broadly have been sites for the reproduction of capitalism, TikTok is both an exacerbation of prior phenomena and the site of new and distinct transformations to capitalism's reproduction. First, although the use of algorithms that organize content on social media platforms is not new, the premise of an entire platform built around data observations and algorithmic curation is unique to TikTok. The algorithm shapes user experience and engagement on the platform to a point that users constantly negotiate, affirm, and reaffirm a sense of self and cultural identity through their engagement with, and consumption of, content on the platform. Second, while attaining influencer status could appear to be possible for anyone–something reinforced by the practices and aesthetics utilized by TikTok's most popular creators–this possibility is in fact mediated by the same social, economic, and cultural powers that govern the world offline. Central to this thesis is thus the observation that varying levels of capital accumulation determine the possibility of an influencer's ability to garner attention through various means–thereby their influencing status– notably by providing heightened visibility on the FYP.
In addition, the growth of TikTok has had a significant influence on popular culture outside of the internet, notably in its blurring of boundaries between digital life and "IRL" or "in real life." Both the algorithm and the distinct video production tools TikTok gives users (the "stitch" and "duet" functions, the reproducible library of "sounds," etc.) create a format that greatly rewards the reproduction of source material, and the further reproduction of reproduced content. Because TikTok encourages users to constantly engage with cultural materials in order to tailor the FYP to the interests and desires of the user, TikTok is at work in shaping the cultural identity of its users.
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Keywords
TikTok, Attention Economy, Reproduction of Capitalism, Social Media