Taking Humor Seriously on TikTok

Abstract

Humor and play are at the center of TikTok culture. Through the platform’s unique functionalities such as the “Use this Sound” and “Duet” features, people use and repurpose sounds in combination with dance and other performative “challenges” that invite imitation and transformation in novel and creative ways. Users have found on TikTok an ideal site to engage in memetic culture for a wide variety of prosocial aims: from calling out China’s treatment of Uighurs to “memeing” politicians for their poor commitments to matters of concern like climate change. All too often, though, users on TikTok also participate in practices that can advertently and inadvertently be harmful, such as viral trends trivializing police brutality and domestic violence and racist parodies. In a moment where various countries are discussing new regulations to push platforms to address, consistently and transparently, illegal and lawful harmful content and conduct, this commentary argues that humor should be taken seriously for online safety.