LGBTQ+ TikTok creators
Strategic visibility negotiation in commercial and activist online spaces
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33621/jdsr.v7i260259Keywords:
LGBTQ+, social media, influencers, activism, visibility, platform affordancesAbstract
Online platforms have become fertile ground for the emergence of social media personas and trends, blurring the boundaries between personal, professional, and public life. The negotiation of identity and assumption of public roles have undergone significant transformations. This study explores the strategic visibility negotiation of LGBTQ+ content creators on TikTok, particularly within Hungary’s increasingly restrictive socio-political landscape, where LGBTQ+ rights are under growing pressure. Drawing on a critical technocultural discourse analysis of 400 TikTok uploads by 4 prominent LGBTQ+ content creator, and 16 in-depth interviews with Hungarian LGBTQ+ youth, this research identifies four predominant roles fulfilled by these creators: Casual Creator, Influencer, Activist, and Influencer–Activist. Creators strategically engage with platform affordances to navigate audience, and market demands while maintaining a central narrative grounded in the lived LGBTQ+ experience. Hungarian LGBTQ+ creators, however, must carefully balance commercial and political roles within an increasingly hostile socio-political climate, often adopting subtle forms of activism and community-driven content to mitigate risks. By leveraging humour, cultural references, and coded messaging, they carve out spaces of resistance while meeting the expectations of their diverse audiences. The study underscores the nuanced negotiation of visibility undertaken by LGBTQ+ content creators, highlighting how they balance online identities to navigate the complex interplay between consumerist and political demands.
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