Algorithms of oppression: How Tiktok FYP suppresses fat, queer, and creators of colour

interrogate the algorithmic biases on social media platforms

2022-04-08 Gwen Uncategorized Comments Off on Algorithms of oppression: How Tiktok FYP suppresses fat, queer, and creators of colour

 

          Lionel Bonaventure/Getty Images

 

Introduction

With the upsurge usage of social media platforms in the modern society, algorithms have been ever more intertwined into the lives of social media users. In this blog, we interrogate the algorithmic biases on social media platforms, specifically Tiktok. The everyday lived experiences of people of colour and or disabled bodies are subjugated to invisibility, sexism, racism and ableism, this is due to the embedded discriminatory moderation and guidelines coded on the Internet, and Artificial Intelligence (Noble, 2018, p. 1). Applying media studies scholar, Safiya Umoja Noble term “technological redlining” from her book “Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforces Racism”, that refers to the” visibility of capital, race and gender being key factors in reinforcing unequal conditions” (2018, p. 1) to frame this case study of how Tiktok possesses oppressive algorithm. Citing Noble’s knowledge of the power of algorithms in the age of neoliberalism and the ways in which digital decision reinforces an oppressive social relationship. From this, we can fully understand that the internet and social media platforms are an unequal level playing field, noting that algorithmic oppression is a “mathematical formulation” that are decisions made by people (Noble, 2018, p. 1). Incorporating the Just & Lazer (2017) approach, algorithms as institutions, wherein algorithms construct reality as it upholds a monolithic social order. However, it is important to note that social order is not representative of everyone or its inherent biases, in fact it reflects the mainstream consensus within society. Therefore, the technology companies, engineers, and Tiktok users are equally responsible and accountable for reinforcing Tiktok and many other social media apps to become a breeding ground for racist, ableist and sexist content. Which is why Noble urges us to take a deeper look at algorithms, they are not neutral.

 

For instance, Nzinga Imani’s, also known as @nzingaimani plus-size model, actress and Black Tiktok content creator, who began her Tiktok journey last summer by participating in trendy dances on the platform. She began to realise that when she uploaded videos of her dancing in swimsuits, they were being taken down immediately (Ishmael, 2022). Being appalled, by the removal of her videos, she noticed the double standards of the community guidelines, at the same time there was an influx of thin creators in swimsuits and bikini being boosted onto everyone’s  “For You Page” while Imani’s content is under review and must be approved by TikTok before she can post, because her content violates the guidelines (Ishmael, 2022), citing that it is “adult sexual and nudity” insinuates that fat bodies are hypersexualised and inappropriate, reinforcing more harmful stereotypes and stigma.  She went on Instagram and made a reel to raise awareness of Tiktok being fatphobic.

 

@nzingaimani /Instagram

 

During an interview with GRAZIA, she told them that, “As influencers, we spend hours on content creation and to have our art removed simply because we are fat feels overwhelmingly unfair and hurtful” (Ishmael, 2021). Unsurprisingly, Imani’s not the only who had experienced this, however, she and many other creators have criticized Tiktok for its blatant fatphobic guidelines, implying that fat bodies are inappropriate and require censorship.

 

For You page favours white creators

In doing so, it reminds me of the incident in 2019 when Tiktok admitted to enforcing a set of policies to suppress the reach of content of users who are deemed “undesirable”, such as disabled, queer, and fat creators, implying the role of desirability politics. Those users who fit these descriptions will be suppressed from reaching the For You page (FYP). In doing so, it actively stifles creators of colour’s opportunity to go viral, and only attain a small following, including their content to get noticed or monetization. Nevertheless, a Redefy article written by Viruel (2021) further supported my argument, as the article exposes Tiktok for only boosting creators who fit the Eurocentric beauty standards in the For You page, citing that desirability politics plays a huge role in visibility in society. Nevertheless, a Redefy article written by Viruel (2021) supports my argument, as the article exposes Tiktok for only boosting creators who fit the Eurocentric beauty standards in the For You page, citing that desirability politics plays a huge role in visibility in society. When you first create your account, the recommended videos are known as the “For You” page (Viruel, 2021).  For a new user, you are more likely to see the most popular content creators on TikTok, which would be Addison Rae, Charli D’amelio, and Dixie D’amelio (Viruel, 2021). All of them are white, indicating the lack of diversity. Also, if you type on your google search engine “popular Tiktok star” or “popular Tiktok influencer” at the bottom of the page will show related search of five people: Charli D’amelio, Addison Rae, Loren Gray, Bella Poarch, Zach King, and either Lil Huddy/Baby Ariel. Four out of six are white creators with the exception of Bella Poarch – Filipino American and Zack King – half Chinese American.

 

This implies that Tiktok has racial biases. Once again pointing out the importance for people that are marginalized – particularly women of colour, to be critical, it’s not a choice, politics of race, class, gender are interwoven into their everyday lived experiences.

Hence, we have to view this blog from a critical race and gender studies framework since social media platforms are used as means of marketing, advertising (Noble, 2018, p. 6) and therefore, it is intentional in ways of representing and shaping marginalized people being portrayed. Besides that, we have to dismantle this biassed algorithm, with Tiktok’s FYP placing white creators at the forefront of Tiktok privileging them to have more visibility, once you begin watching them, making their content most engaged with Tiktok users, you’ll seen them on your feed often (Viruel, 2021). This was proven by a study conducted at UC Berkeley to analyse the competency of content moderation on Tiktok software promotes white creators due to this phenomenon known as collaborative filtering which recommends videos of people of the similar demographic (e.g., age, race, ethnicity, and similar facial features) which is the main problem since majority of popular creators are White, which leaves creators of colour with fewer opportunities and visibility (Asare, 2020; Viruel, 2020).

White privilege

Although Tiktok issued multiple apologies for failing the creators of colour and marginalized communities (e.g., disabled, and queer). To claim and believe that these censorship and suppression where simply mistakes is questionable, because instead of accepting responsibility for the algorithmic oppression, as they claimed it to be a glitch or fluke rather than owning up to it, by claiming it was both a human and a technological error. Removing Tiktok users, engineers, and tech companies that assembled the Artificial Intelligence from accountability implies that they not only lack critical thinking of nuanced decision making as well as autonomy, but the ability also to govern oneself. Reinforces the occurrence of “ecosystem algorithmic power” (Noble, 2018, p. 30) and the implication of “white privilege” transcends social media platforms, solidifying inequality and marginalization within the platform.

Jalaiah Harmon, performing Renegade /Jill Frank for The New York Times

​​If it weren’t for racial bias, Jalaiah Harmon, the original creator of the Renegade dance that went viral, would have gotten credit for it. Instead, Tiktok’s most followed creator, Charli D’amelio, got credit for creating the dance despite copying Jalaiah and simplifying it, and was invited to the Jimmy Fallon show (Asare, 2020). She took credit and opportunities from Jalaiah’s choreography, and only admitted to not creating the dance, after New York Times journalist Taylor Lorenz revealed it (Sinke, 2020). Another instance of white privilege comes into play, Axel Webber who rose to fame for living in the tiniest apartment in New York, documenting his struggling actor livelihood. He posted a video announcing his rejection from Julliard, his dream school, and thousands of his fans sympathised with him and flooded the schools on social media accounts, demanding justice. His fans left comments on the Juilliard school Instagram, “@thexelwebber is a really good actor! Please reconsider him,” (Deng, 2022). Overnight, his devoted fans left one-star reviews of the school on Google; others began fancasting him as Peter Parker, petitioning Marvel to cast him as the next Spiderman (Deng, 2022). Upon his rejection, he received an offer from a modelling agency which led to him receiving backlash, with comments like “That axel webber guy is a perfect example that being white, and privilege gets you so far,” on Twitter, criticising him (Deng, 2022).

The term “white men mediocrity” which was coined by Ijeolma Oluo, an author of a New York Times Bestseller book title So You Want to Talk About Race (Obasi, 2021), wrote this concept to illustrate how white male identity has granted them the privilege to access political power, wealth, and security (Deng, 2022). This trickles down to the social media era, in which we swoon over male celebrities and call them White Boy of the month (e.g., Noah Centineo, Andrew Garfield) on the Internet – who are conventionally attractive, in-touch with their feminine side and are praised for doing something decent that appears more spectacular (Deng, 2022). For instance, Dylan O’Brien who liked a Tweet by Arden Cho – his former cast member of Teen Wolf, who was offered half the salary of her cast members to appear in the new Teen Wolf movie (Smith, 2020).

 

@snflowerv016 / Twitter

This is the reason why people of colour urge Tiktok users or any other social media users to interrogate their own biases and position in society, many dismiss it, saying “it’s not deep” or “why the race card”? Social identity (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, class) plays a big part in shaping our daily reality.

 

Profiting off Black Creators

Ever since Charli D’amelio’s virality of copying Jalaih’s Renagade dance choreography, it became more visible how other white content creators free-ride Black culture and labour. In this case, I employ Boffone’s concept of “Charli D’amelio effect” to better illustrate how her debut on Tiktok has dictated the culture on this platform, including trends, song challenges and dance (2021, p. 22). With over 135 million followers, she is Tiktok’s most popular account. Nonetheless, her influence and position of power dictates the mainstream Tiktok culture and upholds whiteness on the platform, simultaneously perpetuating racist and white structures that are already well and alive offline (Boffone, 2021, p. 22). TikTok shows how digital platforms frequently reinforce white supremacy and exacerbate social inequality, despite the potential it holds to be an inclusive, and “oppressive free space” (Boffone, 2021, p. 23).

TikTok is intended to promote whiteness as more than just the norm, but as something to strive for, we want D’amelio’s social influence (e.g., clout, access, followers, fame) (Boffone, 2021, p. 23). The D’Amelio Effect, is a white supremacist framework, is anchored in both the individual and the system. When D’Amelio started the cycle of posting a video on TikTok, the system was sustained. Whether the dance is her original choreography or a copy of another creator’s, her activities generate trends on this platform, beginning on her page and spreading instantly, while her personal actions appear to “reinforce the social, political, economic, and other benefits that white people enjoy” (Sullivan, 2006 cited in Boffone, 2021). Despite the institutionalisation of racism and white supremacy, how these institutions function so effectively that “they favour white people and exploit non-white people through the creation of individual attachments and commitments to them”(Sullivan, cited in Boffone, 2021).

In the realm of TikTok, even if someone like D’amelio is aware of the system, it is pointless because as long as she continues to profit from it, the system will not budge (Boffone, 2021, p. 22). In short, this system constructs reality, both via the mass media and algorithmic selection mirroring the offline, can be said to be a partnership between humans and technology (Just & Latzer, 2017, p. 253). The downside, of the white supremacist structure, is that the agency in algorithmic reality building is mostly assigned, permitting limited algorithmic objectives and autonomy (Just & Latzer, 2017, p. 253). This is due to the algorithmic growth becoming of a “high degree of intricacy in the partnership between algorithmic agents and humans results in poor transparency” – for Tiktok users and creators (Just & Latzer, 2017, p. 253).

Conclusion

In conclusion, Tiktok is evidently a platform created to promote whiteness and a white supremacist system that favours white producers over non-white creators, intentionally rendering them invisible. Giving them the impression that they are an inclusive and discriminating free policy platform gives them performative diversity representation, while in reality, their algorithm intentionally inhibits creators of colour. free riding off non-white creators, particularly black creators, reaping benefits from their hard work.

 

 

References

  1. Asare, J. G. (2020, 14 April). Does TikTok Have A Race Problem? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2020/04/14/does-tiktok-have-a-race-problem/?sh=68afb1293260
  2. Bonaventure, L. (2019). France-it-internet-tiktok. [photo]. https://www.gettyimages.com.au/photos/lionel-bonaventure-tiktok?assettype=image&sort=mostpopular&phrase=lionel%20bonaventure%20tiktok&license=rf%2Crm
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  4. Boffone, T. (Ed.). (2021). The D’Amelio Effect TikTok, Charli D’Amelio, and the Construction of Whiteness. In Boffone, T. Tiktok cultures in the United States. https://www-taylorfrancis-com.ezproxy.library.sydney.edu.au/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003280705-3/amelio-effect-trevor-boffone
  5. Just, N., & Latzer, M. (2017). Governance by algorithms: reality construction by algorithmic selection on the Internet. Media, Culture & Society, 39(2), 238–258. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443716643157
  6. [@snflowerv016]. (2022, February 17). Dylan O Brien supporting Arden Cho. I love him so much! [Twitter]. https://twitter.com/arden_cho/status/1493956342947721227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1493956342947721227%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeed.com%2Fnatalieoganesyan%2Fdylan-obrien-liked-tweet-arden-cho-teen-wolf-pay-cut
  7. T. (2020, 13 February). The original renegade. TheNewYorkTimes. [photo]. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/style/the-original-renegade.html
  8. Ishmael, A. (2022). Plus-size creators are fed up with Tiktok’s community guidelines. graziamagazine. https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/plus-size-creators-tiktok/#:~:text=Imani%20published%20an%20Instagram%20reel,hurtful%2C%E2%80%9D%20Imani%20tells%20GRAZIA.
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  1. Nzinga Imani. [@nzingaimani]. (2021, April 11). I know SEVERAL of my plus sisters who have been affected by discriminatory body prejudice practices on TT. [Instagram]. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CNhv7CpnGoP/
  2. Sinke, K. (2020, July 1). What Going Viral on TikTok Taught Me About Cultural Appropriation. lithiumagazine. https://lithiumagazine.com/2020/07/01/what-going-viral-on-tiktok-taught-me-about-cultural-appropriation/
  3. Smith, K. L., (2022, February 17). Teen Wolf’s Arden Cho responds to support from fans and Dylan O’Brien after declining role in revival movie https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/news/teen-wolf-arden-cho-dylan-obrien-twitter/#:~:text=Fans%20immediately%20took%20to%20Twitter,decision%20to%20reject%20the%20movie.&text=Shortly%20after%20fans%20noticed%20the,I%20love%20him%20so%20much!%22
  4. Obasi, C. (2021, February 1). Why does the world reward mediocre white men? Bazaar. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/a35379486/why-does-the-world-reward-mediocre-white-men/
  5. D. (2021, February 15). Here’s how tiktok suppresses creators of color. Redefy. https://www.redefy.org/stories/heres-how-tiktok-suppresses-creators-of-color