Paper Short Abstract:

Drawing from Hurley’s (2012) notion of affective digital placemaking, our presentation employs performative analysis and an abductive semiotic methodology to analyse the content posted by transnational Romanian seasonal workers on TikTok, examining the visual and auditory signs within the videos. We explore how these elements shape feelings of belonging and challenge social inequalities. In this context, TikTok plays a critical role in redefining the cultural identity of transnational seasonal workers, offering them a dynamic and politically charged digital space for solidarity and self-expression.

Paper Abstract:

The concept of affective digital placemaking (Hurley 2023) is pivotal to understanding how seasonal workers construct a symbolic “place” to perform experiences and emotions. This process transforms TikTok into a virtual space of solidarity (Szasz et al. 2023) and a form of neoliberal resilience to communicative capitalism and deterritorialization (Hurley 2023). In contrast to critics who view TikTok as a medium that distracts users from more meaningful experiences, Schellewald (2021) highlights parallels with earlier media forms like soap operas and magazines. These forms provided spaces for escapism during the pandemic, helping users manage anxiety and boredom in ways that remain deeply significant to their biographies. TikTok serves not only as a platform for entertainment but also as a tool for mobilizing workers solidarity. They use the app to assert and perform their cultural and professional identities. The platform facilitates information exchange and mutual support through gamified interactions, providing a performative political dimension to self-representation. Similar to previous Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), TikTok enhances the capacity to harness otherness and enables transnational socialization. In line with Nedelcu’s (2012) notion of “generating new ways of living together and acting transnationally in the digital era,” we apply performative analysis and abductive semiotic methodology in order to explore how TikTok’s visual and auditory elements shape feelings of belonging and challenge social inequalities. In this context, TikTok plays a critical role in redefining the cultural identity of transnational seasonal workers, offering them a dynamic and politically charged digital space for solidarity and self-expression.