I am an anthropology graduate from Goldsmiths. My research revolves around issues of meaning making, symbolism, consecrated ground and the construction of the “sacred”. 

Having been a few years too late to catch the first wave of social media giants like Facebook and Instagram, I’ve found it fascinating to be a part of what feels like the foundations of a new digital medium and form of storytelling. I downloaded TikTok in January of 2021, as I was shown increasingly alternative, subversive, and critical content by my housemates (relatively recent converts) and my younger sister (who has been using it for a number of years); it seemed as if a whole new avenue of popular culture had popped up, and I felt drawn to explore it. 

Over lockdown, TikTok appeared to provide people with that lost sense of a larger community – the kind of interaction with strangers which was impossible (on and off) for over a year. Since then, it has apparently managed to retain this function, becoming an add-on or supplement rather than a replacement. Throughout, it has often had a feel of a local pub about it, where stories, jokes and ideas are traded, contested and manipulated.

I am fascinated by the semantic processes that occur within the app itself, as both larger content-creators and smaller, unknown users become active participants in a tangled process of constructing, layering and engaging with various meanings and interpretations.