TikTok and Black political consumerism: Investigating how TikTok use is linked to Black Americans’ activism and identity

ABSTRACT

Even though TikTok has become a popular yet highly politicized social media platform for social change and mobilization, there is little research providing insights into minoritized TikTok users. By conducting a survey sampling Black TikTok users (N = 311), this study examines how Black people’s TikTok use for information gathering influences their political consumerism (i.e., boycotting, buycotting), Black activism orientation, and racial identity reformation. The results revealed that TikTok use predicted Black people’s engagement in political consumerism, formal Black activism, Black centrality, and Black nationalist ideology. Also, Black TikTok users’ perceived TikTok network environment (i.e., TikTok network politicalness, diversity, and authenticity) was positively associated with various apsects of Black activism orientation and racial identity ideology. This study’s findings on the role of Tik Tok on Black resistance, activism, and identity have crucial implications for intercultural and intracultural communication.

KEYWORDS:

• TikTok
• Black activism
• political consumerism
• identity
• social media effects

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Minjie Li

Minjie Li, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Tombras School of Advertising & Public Relations at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His primary research interests stand at the intersection of multicultural advertising, prosocial strategic communication, activism, implicit bias, emerging technologies, and media diversity in relation to social change.