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Learning to be lesbian: culture, community and relationship education and regulation through lesbian "influencer" TikTok

Document
Call Number
LE3 .A278 2024
Date Issued
2024
Supervisor
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Degree Level
Masters
Degree Discipline
Affiliation
Abstract

This thesis explores queer identity education and regulation through lesbian TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic—a temporal period unique in its level of reliance on social media networks for community. In exploring queer TikTok, this thesis aims to answer the following research questions: 1) How does TikTok work to promote and/or regulate lesbian representation and community building and 2) What are the main messages that are being delivered to viewers in the lesbian virtual space? This thesis draws on Embodied Queer Listening, a methodological approach developed by Bontu Lucie Guschke (2023) to uncover unspoken discourse and affective understanding to encompass complex LGBTQ+ social dynamics. Through qualitative discourse analysis in data analysis stages, alongside embodied conclusions, this thesis finds that queer identity norms are generated, supported and regulated through the creator-user relationship on TikTok.

Rights
The author retains copyright in this thesis. Any substantial copying or any other actions that exceed fair dealing or other exceptions in the Copyright Act require the permission of the author.
Publisher
Acadia University

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