TikTok, Plagiarism, and the Politics of Citation
TikTok is a fascinating place for a researcher and writer. Everyday I learn something new about the app, and it brings up questions that are not only relevant to the app itself, but to the norms of information sharing and content creation at this moment in time. Especially in light of the recent strike of Black content creators on the beloved clock app, I have been thinking a lot about the politics of citation on TikTok and what it means to cite correctly and with care by utilizing the affordances of the TikTok platform.
Background on the #BlackTikTokStrike
For many Black content creators, TikTok and other social media platforms are a place for cultural expression and community building. However, unlike the in-person creation of community and camaraderie which tends to be more insular and interpersonal, any person can exist within a community online. In a recent blog post I discussed how the openness of the online community has resulted in the “infiltration and surveillance of Black communities both online and offline” by those who exist both within and outside of it.
