"I can take what I want and adapt as needed": BIPOC Identity Making and Resistance Through Internet Aesthetics on TikTok

Paper Title

"I can take what I want and adapt as needed": BIPOC Identity Making and Resistance Through Internet Aesthetics on TikTok

Publication Info

• Topic area: BIPOC identity-making and resistance through Internet Aesthetics on TikTok.
• Keywords: Internet Aesthetics, TikTok, BIPOC, identity-making, algorithmic bias, symbolic annihilation, racial representation, microaggressions, folk theories, HCI.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Internet Aesthetics on TikTok often lack racial representation for BIPOC users, leading to feelings of alienation and additional labor to find representation. Algorithms perpetuate symbolic annihilation and representational harm.
• Significance: Internet Aesthetics are vital for identity development, joy, and community-building, but their exclusionary nature limits BIPOC users' ability to fully engage and benefit from them.
• Motivation and related work: Prior work highlights racialized dynamics in technology and social media, including algorithmic bias and microaggressions. However, there is limited research on how BIPOC users navigate and resist these dynamics within Internet Aesthetics on TikTok.

Solution

• Proposed approach: Investigate how BIPOC users engage with Internet Aesthetics on TikTok, their strategies for navigating racial representation, and the role of algorithmic folk theories in this process.
• Novelty:
  1. Application of the algorithmic crystal framework to explore identity-making via Internet Aesthetics.
  2. Introduction of a microaggression model to understand epistemic injustice in algorithmic environments.
  3. Proposal of tools and design principles to address algorithmic symbolic annihilation and foster BIPOC joy.
  4. Expansion of HCI research on racialized dynamics in digital identity-making.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 BIPOC TikTok users aged 18–30.
  • Used constructivist grounded theory methodology for iterative data collection and analysis.
  • Explored participants’ interactions with Internet Aesthetics, their perceptions of racial representation, and their strategies for curating content and resisting algorithmic exclusion.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Participants found joy and community in Internet Aesthetics but experienced alienation due to the dominance of whiteness in many Aesthetics.
  • BIPOC representation was often absent or required additional effort to find, leading to feelings of exclusion.
  • Participants used folk theories to curate their feeds and resist algorithmic symbolic annihilation, though these strategies were labor-intensive and not always effective.
  • Many participants adapted Internet Aesthetics to their offline lives as a form of resistance and identity-making.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • Highlights the dual potential of Internet Aesthetics for joy and harm, emphasizing the need for systemic changes to reduce representational harm.
  • Provides actionable insights for designing more inclusive and equitable digital platforms.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Semi-structured interviews with 15 participants recruited from U.S. university campuses.
  • Analysis focused on themes of joy, alienation, representation, and resistance strategies.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Study limited to American participants; findings may not generalize to other national contexts.
  • Future work should explore the commodification of Internet Aesthetics, intersectionality in identity-making, and broader consumerism dynamics.

Summary

This study investigates how BIPOC users engage with Internet Aesthetics on TikTok, highlighting both the joy and alienation they experience due to racial representation dynamics. Participants used folk theories and offline adaptations to resist algorithmic symbolic annihilation and foster identity-making. The research introduces a microaggression model to understand epistemic injustice in algorithmic environments and proposes tools to validate user experiences and improve platform accountability. These findings contribute to HCI by addressing racialized dynamics in digital identity-making and offering design principles for more inclusive social media platforms.