“Stay Fresh, Stay Cute, and Stay Aware”:

TikTok as a Site of Informal Education

From the Work of Young, Black, Femme
Content Creators
 @ Jamie N. Stout
UW // Love/Hate relationship with social media // Gen Z

2 2 9
Year Major(s) Weeks

Follow
How does TikTok What role do young,
serve as a site of Black, femme content
Informal creators play in this
education? education?
 Black
Studies

Media Studies/
Communication Sociology

Education
 Methods
TikTok
Social Media
Like
Platform
Always…

What Where When How Who

TikTok May 1st – August 1st, I’m glad you

Videos 2023 asked…
Themes

Norms

Aesthetics
 Intentional Education

Unintentional Education

Joy
Content creators are educating
their audiences intentionally.

Taylor Alexis Ve’Ondre

Fast Black History video on Sade, Making root beer out of Don’t Ask Ve’ That episode on
the singer of “Smooth Operator” the sassafras root raising a transgender child
 Nimay Alexis Chakira

Putting together an outfit reveals Comments from a conference A rant to let of steam reveals
experiences with insecurity and reveal how Black expertise is uncomfortable situations
body dysmorphia disregarded experienced by young women

Content creators educate their audiences unintentionally.

 Content
creators
center joy.

Taylor Chakira Nimay

Singing about how Doing makeup with Shaking a** at Pride
good it is to be brightness
Black
• True knowledge, history, and
experience are under attack
• TikTok is a site of informal
education
• Invisible labor deserves
recognition
• Valuing formal and informal
education equally?
 Works Cited
Alexis nikole on tiktok. (n.d.-a). TikTok. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@alexisnikole/video/7267653967453244718

Alexis nikole on tiktok. (n.d.-b). TikTok. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@alexisnikole/video/7248652084214746414

Alexis nikole on tiktok. (n.d.-c). TikTok. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@alexisnikole/video/7249144728426450218

Chakira on tiktok. (n.d.-a). TikTok. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@chakiraclark/video/7267988798473129258

Chakira on tiktok. (n.d.-b). TikTok. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@chakiraclark/video/7254676230631329066

Chakira on tiktok. (n.d.-c). TikTok. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@chakiraclark/video/7254254992004091178

Greenhow, C., Sonnevend, J., & Agur, C. (Eds.). (2016). Education and social media: Toward a digital future. The MIT Press.

Jones, F. (2019). Reclaiming our space: How black feminists are changing the world from the tweets to the streets. Beacon Press.

Nimay ndolo on tiktok. (n.d.-a). TikTok. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@nimay.ndolo/video/7238270054175886635

Nimay ndolo on tiktok. (n.d.-b). TikTok. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@nimay.ndolo/video/7064763993633885486

Taylor cassidy on tiktok. (n.d.-a). TikTok. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorcassidyj/video/7246669433458920747

Taylor cassidy on tiktok. (n.d.-b). TikTok. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorcassidyj/video/7255433795791326507

Taylor cassidy on tiktok. (n.d.-c). TikTok. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorcassidyj/video/7247973460071271723

Taylor cassidy on tiktok. (n.d.-d). TikTok. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorcassidyj/video/7091363353859198250

Tiktok—Make your day. (n.d.). Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@nimay.ndolo/video/7245068148238634286

Veondre on tiktok. (n.d.-a). TikTok. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@veondre/video/7258787996437089579

Veondre on tiktok. (n.d.-b). TikTok. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@veondre/video/7244681683419794734
Questions