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Examining TikTok's Potential for Community-Engaged Digital Knowledge Mobilization With Equity-Seeking Groups
Kinnon Ross MacKinnon1, Hannah Kia2, Ashley Lacombe-Duncan3
1School of Social Work, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Researchers can use TikTok for digital knowledge mobilization, especially with underserved communities like transgender and nonbinary individuals. This platform offers unique tools for sharing health information and fostering engagement, despite some limitations.
Area of Science:
- Digital Health
- Health Communication
- Social Media Research
Background:
- Social media is increasingly used by researchers for public engagement and rapid dissemination of findings.
- TikTok's unique features, including audiovisual editing and algorithms, facilitate knowledge dissemination to large audiences.
- Underserved communities, such as transgender and nonbinary (trans) individuals, face healthcare barriers and actively share health information online.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore TikTok's potential for digital knowledge mobilization with underserved communities.
- To examine the dissemination of health information within the trans community on TikTok.
- To discuss considerations for researchers using TikTok for community engagement.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of digital knowledge mobilization literature.
- Case study focusing on TikTok and the trans community.
- Presentation of analytics data from 13 TikTok videos on gender-affirming medicine research.
Main Results:
- TikTok's features enable impactful knowledge dissemination and exchange.
- Analytics data illustrate knowledge dissemination patterns within the trans community regarding gender-affirming medicine.
- Researchers can achieve transformative, community-engaged knowledge mobilization via TikTok.
Conclusions:
- TikTok is an innovative platform for digital knowledge mobilization, particularly with equity-seeking groups.
- Effective use requires addressing limitations such as data analytics, community safety, disinformation, and access barriers.
- Collaborative efforts on TikTok can improve healthcare access and population health outcomes.
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