What does this research mean for the field?

Incarcerated individuals use TikTok to challenge stigmas by documenting institutional neglect and humanizing themselves, which fosters connection but simultaneously exposes them to intensified surveillance and risk from audiences enforcing carceral logics. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This analysis explores how incarcerated individuals use social media to challenge societal stigmas and gain visibility.

May 17, 2026Convergence The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies

‘The behind-the-scenes we were never supposed to see’: Resisting, reframing, and reinforcing incarceration stigmas on Prison TikTok

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Authors

APAnnika Pinch

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Overview

Qualitative analysis reveals how incarcerated TikTok creators challenge stigmas and gain visibility.

Key Points

This analysis explores how incarcerated individuals use social media to challenge societal stigmas and gain visibility.
Qualitative analysis of TikTok videos created inside prisons
Audience interaction assessment with these videos
Interviews with formerly incarcerated TikTok creators
Creators portray prisons as sites of neglect and deprivation while documenting resilience
Humanization through participation in digital culture facilitates connection but increases risk of surveillance
Audience interactions reinforce and challenge carceral logics, affecting public perceptions of incarceration

Cite This Study

Annika Pinch (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a095b1b7880e6d24efe0d01 https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565261453786

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May 17, 2026Convergence The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies

‘The behind-the-scenes we were never supposed to see’: Resisting, reframing, and reinforcing incarceration stigmas on Prison TikTok

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

APAnnika Pinch

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

Qualitative analysis reveals how incarcerated TikTok creators challenge stigmas and gain visibility.

Key Points

This analysis explores how incarcerated individuals use social media to challenge societal stigmas and gain visibility.
Qualitative analysis of TikTok videos created inside prisons
Audience interaction assessment with these videos
Interviews with formerly incarcerated TikTok creators
Creators portray prisons as sites of neglect and deprivation while documenting resilience
Humanization through participation in digital culture facilitates connection but increases risk of surveillance
Audience interactions reinforce and challenge carceral logics, affecting public perceptions of incarceration

Cite This Study

Annika Pinch (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a095b1b7880e6d24efe0d01 https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565261453786

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark