Conference Agenda

The specter of fear and precarity surrounding the migrant experience has saturated public culture and scholarly literature. Central to these representations is the spectacle of the economically deprived, sexualized, exploited, and abused migrant. Scholarship on migration studies, however, argues against this since precarity is not the only narrative that exists and that there are other wonderful, positive, minoritarian aspects of migrant life as well. Building on this, I theorize and engage with what I describe as “queer migrant joy” among overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) cum TikTok content creators. I ask: In what ways is TikTok, if at all, mobilized by queer Overseas Filipino Workers to express joy? Through purposive sampling, I selected TikToks (n=15) produced by queer migrants who fit my selection criteria and subsequently analyzed through thematic analysis. Such an exploration is necessary because by attending to the potentialities of joy as an agentive practice and everyday pursuit to which multiple meanings can be ascribed, I would be able to provide a more nuanced understanding of queer migration in a field that usually privileges “white, Eurocentric, and assimilationist assumptions” (Beaman and Clerge 2024, 23). Moreover, since “[q]ueer studies, migration studies, and communication studies are relatively new scholarly fields when compared to those disciplines from which they emerged (sociology, history, anthropology, literature, theater arts, etc.)” this undertaking thus furthers “possibilities for future research.” (Shield 2021, 2)

This paper explores the differences between traditional cultural coverage and digital media-relevant content. We focus on how the Brazilian singer and activist Linn da Quebrada is portrayed in the Portuguese newspaper Público and on TikTok. Brazil and Portugal have had a relationship since the colonial period in the sixteenth century. The common language (Portuguese) and digital media habits allow a flux of cultural products between the two countries. However, there is a gap in studies that analyze them considering the colonial context. Previous studies identified the Portuguese cultural coverage as aligned with the country’s cultural industries and elites, with little space for decolonial perspectives and issues such as racism, sexism, and transphobia. The Brazilian singer and activist Linn da Quebrada is an exception in this scenario: the only trans person featured two times in the Portuguese newspaper Público in 2018. Her work was linked to the Brazilian political context and presented as a leading force in feminist and queer movements. Seven years later, we analyzed 24 news pieces published in Público (2019-2024) mentioning Linn da Quebrada, identifying four thematic axes. In the second stage, through netnography, we analyzed 16 top-ranked videos and 2043 comments associated with them. Findings indicate asymmetries between themes and narratives circulating Linn da Quebrada in Portugal. News pieces predominantly feature the idea of a trans/feminist Brazilian icon. On TikTok, themes are more diverse, including interviews, performances, participation in a reality show, and instances of hate speech in user comments.

This study explores how youth discuss generative artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education contexts on TikTok. Through a qualitative analysis of 980 TikTok posts and their associated comments, we identify three key themes: (1) the commercialization of AI tools on TikTok through peer-to-peer marketing strategies, (2) platform-mediated moral contestations around AI ethics and the purpose of higher education, and (3) the emergence of new forms of community-building and identity exploration centered around AI. Our analysis reveals TikTok's significant role as a platform for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing around emerging technologies—yet one deeply marked by commercial dynamics and undisclosed promotional content. These findings contribute to emerging scholarship on how social media platforms shape youth technological imaginaries and provide insights into the complex entanglements of commercial interests, educational discourse, and identity practices in digital spaces.

The evolution of TikTok into an e-commerce platform has been marked by the introduction of features that blend entertainment with monetization. One such feature is Live Matches, where creators engage in real-time competitions and encourage viewers to send virtual gifts to support their chosen participants. Recently, some creators have exploited this format by staging conflicts such as “Israel vs. Palestine” despite having no direct connection to the regions or issues they depict. This practice raises ethical and legal concerns, particularly regarding the monetization of real-world suffering and the trivialization of geopolitical crises. This socio-legal paper explores how creators capitalize on crises to drive financial contributions on TikTok Live Matches and assesses the legal implications of such practices from a consumer protection perspective. Using a mixed-method approach, we conduct (1) a qualitative content analysis of crisis-driven Live Matches to uncover how adversity is leveraged for financial gain and (2) a doctrinal legal analysis to evaluate the compliance of these monetization tactics with European consumer protection law. Our findings reveal three key exploitative strategies: emotional manipulation through affective triggers, competitive monetization via gamified showdowns, and algorithmic amplification of crisis content for profit. We argue that these tactics not only exploit consumer emotions but also violate existing consumer protection frameworks. In conclusion, we advocate for stricter oversight of TikTok Live Matches to enhance transparency and protect consumers from manipulative monetization practices in crisis-driven content.