TikTok’s algorithmic curation and short-form, remixable features create a fertile ground for everyday forms of resistance and civic expression. This study examines how AI-related conversations on TikTok convey resistance through the strategic utilization of platform affordances. We compiled a corpus of 1,497 videos and conducted a three-stage analysis: (1) hashtag co-occurrence to identify thematic clusters; (2) examination of engagement metrics (views, likes, comments, shares) about the number and type of hashtags; and (3) multimodal narrative analysis of selected high-impact videos using Transana. Results reveal three thematic clusters, narrative creativity, algorithmic optimization, and critical commentary, that intersect with three specific forms of resistance identified in the narrative analysis: algorithmic resistance (tactics to subvert visibility rules), cultural resistance (re-appropriation of popular codes and shared aesthetics), and discursive resistance (alternative framings and counter-narratives). Engagement patterns suggest that reach is not solely determined by the number of hashtags but by their relevance and the combination strategy. Qualitative analysis reveals how creators use editing, sound, captions, and visual devices to embed critical messages within algorithmically governed circuits. The study presents an integrative framework that connects large-scale metrics and metadata with micro-narrative analysis. It demonstrates how affect, visibility, and multimodal creativity converge in digital resistance. These findings advance our understanding of how memes and short-form narratives evolve into situated acts of civic expression, suggesting implications for the design of recommendation systems, the study of algorithmic affordances, and the support of civic imagination in digital ecologies.
Borda et al. (Wed,) studied this question.