TikTok Influences Our Communication Styles
Brief Project Description:
My digital culture audio project is about how the social media app, TikTok has influenced how we communicate with each other and the effects that it has on all generations of human communication. I briefly talk about slang terms, algospeak, and the TikTok accent. This podcast is to inform my digital audience about the effects that it has on the way we communicate and our communication styles and patterns.
Transcription:
Title: Does TikTok Influence Our Communication Styles?
Do you ever find yourself or see others post on TikTok platforms talking differently on the app than in real life? How about using slang terms or hearing a TikTok accent? Hello, my name is Alyson Hardy, and welcome back to yet another great podcast where this episode is on the digital culture of TikTok. I’m sure many of you have heard of the social media app TikTok which allows people to watch, share, and create short videos. This app has allowed humans to feel connected to their friends and family. There is a lot of research about how TikTok has transformed how we communicate with each other differently through the app. It is very important to look at how this app has shaped our communication patterns because seeing how addictive the app is and how easily it can influence the younger generation is very dangerous. Children on this app are seeing how others communicate on the app and that affects them greatly. Today I am here to inform you about how TikTok changes the way we communicate with one another and the effects that it has on all generations of human communication. TikTok influences the English language in various ways, from marketing new vocabulary and slang to shaping pronunciation and accent.
TikTok sets itself apart from other platforms such as Instagram through the way it presents its digital interactions to allow the youth to feel connected. This app has influenced its users to adapt their voices and accents to what they see on their screens. Content creators and influencers post ads and the tone of their voice changes to sway their viewers to buy what they are trying to sell. They often use energetic or passionate language, underline positive features, and strategically frame their message to convince users to secure a purchase, maybe even creating a sense of importance to encourage immediate action.
Digital creators on the app even create their own slang terms and accents. They have developed a unique way of speaking often referred to as the Influencers speak or the TikTok voice. The style involves ending sentences upward as if it’s a question. Some users adapt their language to avoid losing views, which can lead to a digital language called algospeak. An article from the Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law and author Amaris (a mare is) Aloise (Aloe es) stated, “Algospeak refers to the replacement of words or phrases disfavored or banned by a platform’s algorithm and community guidelines” (Aloise). While algospeak can master expression, it can also have drawbacks, such as confusion. Algospeak can lead to misinterpretations because it implies that the ideas being communicated are offensive. Panorama is an example that is being used to define the pandemic. Algospeak and new slang terms are just two of the ways that it has affected our communication. Changing the way you speak in creating the sort of online persona does have its challenges.
Voices tend to sound a little bit more relaxed, but on social media adapting the TikTok accent becomes necessary to capture the viewer’s attention. Since users are using slang terms more often they don’t know how to use them in the right context. Concerns are rising that TikTok users can be influenced by the language and communication styles they see around them, potentially adopting behaviors or vocabulary that might not be appropriate for all situations, especially when exposed to content from older users.
From my personal experience, I have noticed that on my TikTok feed the way people talk on the app is different than how people talk in the real world. The app has influenced the way that we communicate with each other. An example of how some users communicate with their friends is just by sending videos back and forth to each other. I do it myself without even having a full-on conversation about the video that was sent. I just have some sort of short reaction to what my friends send me such as double-tapping the video to show that I watched it.
So what do you think about how TikTok has created a subculture language? Have you noticed a change in your communication patterns after scrolling on TikTok? Today I informed you about how TikTok changes the way we communicate and the effects that it has on all generations of human communication. It’s important to think about how easy it is to be influenced by an app and how our communication patterns adapt to it. It can be scary to watch, but that’s just how easily we can be influenced. Thank you for listening to another great podcast!
Tune in next week’s podcast that features tips on how to be successful in interviews!!
Work Cited
Aloise, Amaris. “Algospeak: Jailbreaking the Marketplace of Ideas | Vanderbilt JETLaw.” Vanderbilt University, 8 March 2024, https://www.vanderbilt.edu/jetlaw/2024/03/08/algospeak-jailbreaking-the-marketplace-of-ideas/. Accessed 16 October 2024.