Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

6-2026

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Social Welfare

Advisor

Alexis Kuerbis

Advisor

Jason VanOra

Committee Members

Barbra Teater

Subject Categories

Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Media | Social Work

Keywords

Black women, TikTok, homeplace, algorithmic violence, Black Cyberfeminism, interpretative phenomenological analysis, digital expression, strategic authenticity

Abstract

This interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) examined the lived experiences of seven Black women TikTok users, exploring how they describe and make meaning of TikTok as a space of digital expression amid algorithmic constraint and platform precarity. Grounded in Black Cyberfeminism, Critical Race Theory, and hooks’ (1990) homeplace theory, the study asked three questions: how Black women describe their use of TikTok; how they make meaning of the platform as a space of expression; and how they navigate platform instability, political threats, and content restrictions while maintaining authentic expression. Drawing on semi-structured Zoom interviews and analyzed using Smith et al.’s (2009) seven-step IPA procedure, findings revealed eight emergent themes organized under a synthesizing framework: “Building Homeplace on Rented Land.” Participants described TikTok not as a platform they merely used but as a space they actively constructed through sustained algorithmic labor, intentional harm filtering, mutual witnessing, political consciousness-making, archival preservation, and the pursuit of joy as resistance. This world-building occurred under constant siege from algorithmic suppression, comment section violence, and the existential threat of platform shutdown - conditions participants named as building something beautiful on rented land. The study introduces “strategic authenticity” as an original theoretical concept describing Black women’s calibrated self-disclosure in response to algorithmic risk and interpersonal harm and extends hooks’ (1990) homeplace theory into digital contexts by documenting how corporate platform structure creates new and distinct conditions of precarity. Findings contribute to Black feminist theory, critical algorithm studies, and digital expression scholarship, and carry implications for clinical social work practice with Black women navigating harms in digital spaces.

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