UNVEILING TIKTOK'S SHADOW: A TYPOLOGY OF WHITE NATIONALIST NARRATIVES AS EUDAIMONIC ENTERTAINMENT

Resumen

In today's social media-dominated landscape, identifying the manifestation of white nationalism on platforms such as TikTok is essential to understanding the spread of extremist content. This research examines the interplay between content and form in TikTok videos, revealing how creators exploit platform-specific features to propagate white nationalist narratives. Rooted in the Identity Approach, which encompasses Social Identity Theory and Self-Categorization Theory, the study elucidates how individuals, particularly on social media, define themselves within interchangeable group memberships, giving rise to in-group/out-group distinctions. Applying this framework to digital platforms highlights the role of content in signaling group membership and shaping collective identity. By analyzing white nationalist content on TikTok through qualitative content analysis (n = 75), the study identifies seven types, including nationalist militarism, traditionalism, AfD edit, stylized political speech/news video, infographic/documentation, demo footage and patriotic self-presentation. Each type uses different strategies, from glorifying militarism to repackaging political figures for TikTok. The typology sheds light on extremists' strategies for narrative dissemination on TikTok, and offers insights for platform moderation and interventions to mitigate the spread of extremist content. In addition, the study examines the emotional appeal and recruitment strategies embedded in extremist narratives and explores the influence of eudaimonic entertainment. Methodological challenges, ethical considerations, and barriers to research, are discussed, providing valuable insights for future research on online extremism.