This is Africa: How young African TikTok trends challenged Afropessimism during COVID-19

Machirori, F

This is Africa: How young African TikTok trends challenged Afropessimism during COVID-19

Machirori, F

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Publisher:: Intellect
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of African Media Studies, 2023, 15, (2), pp. 161-177
Issue Date:: 2023-06-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Machirori, F
dc.date.accessioned	2024-05-29T09:45:05Z
dc.date.available	2024-05-29T09:45:05Z
dc.date.issued	2023-06-01
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of African Media Studies, 2023, 15, (2), pp. 161-177
dc.identifier.issn	1751-7974
dc.identifier.issn	1751-7974
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/179328
dc.description.abstract	Afropessimism or the western media tradition of covering Africa in stereotypically negative ways has continually served to strip the continent of representational nuance and agency While Africa experienced its own COVID 19 challenges during the pandemic the Afropessimistic outlook of total collapse and carnage did not become a reality In fact with the popular uptake of TikTok as the pandemic wore on Africans began social media trends that kept many globally entertained as they navigated new lockdown realities This study looks at three of these TikTok trends namely JerusalemaChallenge DontRushChallenge and DontLeaveMeChallenge Through textual analysis the study explores if and how these trends provided counternarratives to Afropessimism With dominant themes such as humour and dance emerging findings suggest that these trends offered content that can be read as contributing to challenging Afropessimism through cultivating African digital agency and representation
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Intellect
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of African Media Studies
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1386/jams_00098_1
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.classification	4701 Communication and media studies
dc.title	This is Africa: How young African TikTok trends challenged Afropessimism during COVID-19
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	15
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/School of Communication
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	true
dc.date.updated	2024-05-29T09:45:04Z
pubs.issue	2
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	15
utslib.citation.issue	2

Abstract:

Afropessimism or the western media tradition of covering Africa in stereotypically negative ways has continually served to strip the continent of representational nuance and agency While Africa experienced its own COVID 19 challenges during the pandemic the Afropessimistic outlook of total collapse and carnage did not become a reality In fact with the popular uptake of TikTok as the pandemic wore on Africans began social media trends that kept many globally entertained as they navigated new lockdown realities This study looks at three of these TikTok trends namely JerusalemaChallenge DontRushChallenge and DontLeaveMeChallenge Through textual analysis the study explores if and how these trends provided counternarratives to Afropessimism With dominant themes such as humour and dance emerging findings suggest that these trends offered content that can be read as contributing to challenging Afropessimism through cultivating African digital agency and representation

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/179328