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Paper short abstract:

Combining digital ethnography, content analysis, and interviews with TikTok users from Turkey, this study argues that users' perceptions of the reciprocity between curating algorithms and receiving “caring content” on repeat function as a self-care activity within the context of covid-19 lockdowns.

Paper long abstract:

The coronavirus outbreak in Turkey, which attested to the numerous lockdowns, coincided with the popularity of TikTok. Spending time on the platform in hopes of soothing videos became a welcome distraction from the restrictions on social life in the country. Combining digital ethnography, content analysis, and interviews with TikTok users from Turkey, this study explores how users interact with the algorithms offered by the platform as part of their “new” self-care routines to cultivate mental calmness. I discuss that TikTok users carefully curate the platform’s algorithms in hopes that the latter presents them with audio-visual content that they distinctively perceive as nurturing “because they are empathetic to the everyday mental struggles of the pandemic.” The convenience of repeatedly watching such content (thanks to algorithms) also constitutes the self-care discourse, as individuals believe they lack the capacity for full mental engagement during the lockdowns. While the relationship between “addictive” algorithmic content, well-being, and mental health is viewed mainly in an unfavorable light, this study discusses users' perceptions of the reciprocity between curating algorithms and receiving “caring content” on repeat function as a self-care activity within the context of covid-19 lockdowns.