The thesis focuses on the analysis of TikTok, a platform developed by ByteDance in 2017, incorporating the former Musical.ly. The research aims to determine whether TikTok has introduced a new language or primarily functions as a container of trends rooted in pre-existing phenomena. The diffusion and impact of TikTok make it a particularly interesting subject of study. The thesis fits into a broader context of the evolution of digital technologies that have transformed the landscape of contemporary audio-visual media. This includes the phenomenon of media convergence in a hybrid environment, which has opened the doors to key concepts such as remediation and digitalization. These phenomena have been observed in contexts ranging from cinema and television to the more recent YouTube, born in 2005. The research further explores the importance of aesthetics, imagination, and new expressive forms in an increasingly technology-connected world. It delves into the analysis through cinema, representing a significant technological and cultural starting point. It also examines the concept of performativity and the representation of online identity, especially in light of modern social networks. The concept of screens and their widespread presence constitutes a central theme in these dynamics, emerging as highly innovative cultural interfaces. After an initial analysis of how TikTok operates, the thesis empirically examines the evident phenomena on the platform, studying prominent Italian tiktokers’ cases. This approach enables the identification of specific dynamics that distinguish TikTok. Finally, a questionnaire gathers perceptions from TikTok users aged between 18 and 35, delving into some of the previously described trends. In summary, in just a few years, TikTok has established itself as one of the main social media applications, presenting itself as a fascinating subject of study that connects cultural evolutions rooted in human history. The platform acts as a medium that influences the collective imagination with its distinctive characteristics, becoming an exemplary ground for the application of cultural dynamics anchored in human evolutionary history.
La tesi si concentra sull’analisi di TikTok, una piattaforma sviluppata da ByteDance nel 2017, incorporando la precedente Musical.ly. La ricerca si propone di determinare se TikTok abbia introdotto un nuovo linguaggio o funga principalmente da contenitore di tendenze con radici in fenomeni preesistenti. La diffusione e l’impatto di TikTok lo rendono un soggetto di studio particolarmente interessante. La tesi si inserisce in un contesto più ampio di evoluzione delle tecnologie digitali che hanno trasformato il panorama dei media audiovisivi contemporanei. Ciò include il fenomeno della convergenza dei media in un ambiente ibrido, che ha aperto le porte a concetti chiave come la rimediazione e la digitalizzazione. Questi fenomeni sono stati osservati in contesti che vanno dal cinema e alla televisione fino al più recente YouTube, nato nel 2005. La ricerca esplora ulteriormente l’importanza dell’estetica, dell’immaginazione e delle nuove forme espressive in un mondo sempre più connesso con la tecnologia digitale. Si approfondisce l’analisi attraverso il cinema, che rappresenta un punto di partenza tecnologico e culturale significativo. Si esamina anche il concetto di performatività e rappresentazione dell’identità online, specialmente alla luce dei moderni social network. Il concetto di schermi e la loro diffusa presenza costituiscono un tema centrale di queste dinamiche, emergendo come interfacce culturali altamente innovative. Dopo un’analisi iniziale del funzionamento di TikTok, la tesi esamina in modo empirico i fenomeni evidenti sulla piattaforma, studiando casi di tiktoker italiani di spicco. Questo approccio consente di identificare dinamiche specifiche che contraddistinguono TikTok. Infine, un questionario raccoglie le percezioni degli utenti di TikTok di età compresa tra 18 e 35 anni, approfondendo alcune delle tendenze precedentemente descritte. In sintesi, TikTok si è affermato in pochi anni come una delle principali applicazioni di social media, offrendosi come un soggetto di studio affascinante che collega evoluzioni culturali radicate nella storia dell’umanità. La piattaforma agisce come un medium che influisce sull’immaginario collettivo con le sue caratteristiche distintive, diventando un terreno esemplare per l’applicazione di dinamiche culturali ancorate nella storia evolutiva dell’uomo.
Il linguaggio di TikTok Un'Indagine Interdisciplinare fra Espressione e Comunicazione nell'Era Digitale
MARENGO, NOEMI
2022/2023
Abstract
The thesis focuses on the analysis of TikTok, a platform developed by ByteDance in 2017, incorporating the former Musical.ly. The research aims to determine whether TikTok has introduced a new language or primarily functions as a container of trends rooted in pre-existing phenomena. The diffusion and impact of TikTok make it a particularly interesting subject of study. The thesis fits into a broader context of the evolution of digital technologies that have transformed the landscape of contemporary audio-visual media. This includes the phenomenon of media convergence in a hybrid environment, which has opened the doors to key concepts such as remediation and digitalization. These phenomena have been observed in contexts ranging from cinema and television to the more recent YouTube, born in 2005. The research further explores the importance of aesthetics, imagination, and new expressive forms in an increasingly technology-connected world. It delves into the analysis through cinema, representing a significant technological and cultural starting point. It also examines the concept of performativity and the representation of online identity, especially in light of modern social networks. The concept of screens and their widespread presence constitutes a central theme in these dynamics, emerging as highly innovative cultural interfaces. After an initial analysis of how TikTok operates, the thesis empirically examines the evident phenomena on the platform, studying prominent Italian tiktokers’ cases. This approach enables the identification of specific dynamics that distinguish TikTok. Finally, a questionnaire gathers perceptions from TikTok users aged between 18 and 35, delving into some of the previously described trends. In summary, in just a few years, TikTok has established itself as one of the main social media applications, presenting itself as a fascinating subject of study that connects cultural evolutions rooted in human history. The platform acts as a medium that influences the collective imagination with its distinctive characteristics, becoming an exemplary ground for the application of cultural dynamics anchored in human evolutionary history.È consentito all'utente scaricare e condividere i documenti disponibili a testo pieno in UNITESI UNIPV nel rispetto della licenza Creative Commons del tipo CC BY NC ND.
Per maggiori informazioni e per verifiche sull'eventuale disponibilità del file scrivere a: unitesi@unipv.it.
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14239/3302