Brief Topic Introduction: How influencers are made
In the age of social media and Tiktok, digital storytelling has become extremely popular for various groups and individuals from different walks of life. On public platforms like TikTok, algorithms often introduce content creators to audiences using features like the "For You" page and hashtags to filter content. Once a user interacts with a specific type of content, TikTok shows it to them more often, and views and interaction grow on these creators' pages.
A huge part of being successful on TikTok is cultivating authenticity, which leads many creators to share personal experiences with their audience, whether it is highs or lows.
When creators then share their authentic selves with an audience, they establish ethos, and gain the ability to influence culture and shift narratives.
Rewriting the Narrative
A growing genre that has circulated recently is “#Prisontok,” which features formerly incarcerated women who now post on TikTok to share “storytimes” and common themes such as food and pains of imprisonment with their audience.
In the academic research article, "Prison TikTok”: Incarcerated Life Shared on Social Media," Niebuhr and Reid explain that Prison Tiktok offers a "different perspective in criminal justice messaging" and "a look into an otherwise confined and separate world" (Niebuhr, Reid).
They use their platforms on TikTok to rhetorically reclaim their identities, build community, and provide clarity by responding to questions the general public has about prison and how the experience of being sentenced and imprisoned can be challenging for women, as well as alienating, when trying to reintegrate into society.
The central argument this website offers about the women and public figures being observed is their ability to reclaim identity, challenge stigmas, and use elements of TikTok and digital storytelling to build ethos with viewers and rewrite societal narratives.
Profiles: Female, Ex-Convict TikTok Creators
@jenjengomez2.0
Jennifer Gomez
@jesken12
Jessica Kent
@prison_story
Amanda Dove
These three public profiles are those of Jennifer Gomez, Jessica Kent, and Amanda Dove, who are are among the most followed and viewed female TikTok creators when making the simple search "Ex-con Tiktok" or "PrisonTok" on the app.
A note to our readers
We are calling women, social media users, writers, and social justice fighters to read our stories bring awareness to the power of digital storytelling.
Here at Social Media Spy, we delve into powerful cases and trending phenomenons that highlight the change that social media brings to everyday life and public opinions.
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