Why TikTok Matters: New Directions in Sociological Methods for the Digital Age

• In Event: Medical Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 10. Technology and Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

Compared to other social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, Reddit, and YouTube, TikTok offers distinct affordances for sociological analysis. Through its algorithmic circulation of short-form video, user-friendly interface, inherently communal culture, and capacity to reach a wide range of demographics, TikTok is a uniquely valuable site for researchers seeking to examine the public discourse of almost any topic. However, despite its potential, the use of TikTok as a research site remains underutilized by sociologists for two key reasons. First, institutional skepticism toward social media data more generally has reinforced longstanding anxieties about rigor and credibility of conclusions drawn online. Second, the volatility of TikTok data, including content deletion, account privatization, and algorithmic suppression, alongside national and global bans on the platform itself, further complicates research design and data preservation. Despite these barriers, this work argues that TikTok represents not only a valuable site of digital ethnography but also a methodological frontier that requires both technical adaptability and theoretical rigor to ethically and effectively capture emerging forms of social life online. To illustrate the key features that make TikTok a distinctly valuable research site, as well as potential limitations that arise in data collection, we focus on one particular case study: a content analysis of TikToks about gender and chronic illness. We then propose the best practices our research team has developed for navigating methodological issues and engaging with the algorithmic environment on TikTok. Ultimately, this work demonstrates why and how TikTok data collection is valuable for sociologists in light of the platform’s growing significance as a site of contemporary social inquiry.

Authors

• Cristiana Miele, Case Western Reserve University

• Kate Jennie Freeman, Case Western Reserve University