A new open-access article by Hui Lin and Dr Rafal Zaborowski, both from the Department of Digital Humanities at KCL, examines how the Chinese platform Douyin (internationally known as TikTok) gamifies everyday social interaction.
The article was first presented at the 2024 International Conference on Social Media & Society where it was honoured with the prestigious Best Method Paper Award.
This study explores features like flame badges and virtual pets that turn friendship into a visible, measurable activity where keeping a streak or co-parenting a digital companion become proxies for intimacy. Using a mixed-method approach combining walkthrough analysis with an innovative video diary-interview method, Lin and Zaborowski show how Doyin’s playful features may strengthen bonds within small, close-knit groups while also commodifying social relationships. The platform masks manipulative dynamics of data extraction and commodification with a framework of sociality and entertainment. Users mitigate undesirable algorithmic outcomes by actively managing their interactions, revealing a tension between connection and control.
This project contributes to ongoing work in DDH on platform governance, algorithmic sociality, and critical digital methods, and opens new conversations on play and intimacy on short-form video platforms.