Assignment Components:
- Title: Courtney’s Corner: Generational Dynamics and TikTok
- Brief Project Description: Join me as I explore how TikTok’s audio-visual format shapes generational dynamics. Through interviews with users from five generations, I examine how different age groups interpret and create content using a viral TikTok sound. This podcast episode offers a unique perspective on the intersection of social media, creativity, and generational differences in our evolving digital culture.
- References:
Generation Name and Birth Year Info:
Generation Name and Birth Year Info
Year TikTok was Created:
What are Generational Dynamics:
What are Generational Dynamics
She Knows by J. Cole:
- Transcript:
Courtney: Hello everyone! Welcome to Courtney’s Corner! I’m Courtney Chaney and today I will discuss how TikTok’s combination of an audio and visual component influences generational dynamics. Generational dynamics is the relationship between people’s age and their perspectives, preferences, or expectations and how they differ across generations. I’ve been a TikTok user since it was created in 2016 and have seen firsthand how TikTok is increasingly becoming a more and more important component of digital culture. Knowing how this platform affects you and other users of all ages is beneficial for establishing a profound digital identity. So for this podcast, let’s dive into the study of how TikTok users of different ages express their digital identities based on their interpretation and description of how they would create content using a viral sound. To study this relationship, I used the number one trending sound on TikTok as of October 15th called She Knows by J. Cole. It sounds like this:
J. Cole: Me, A black star, Mos Def, Kweli, Good, so them bad hoes try me, they try me, huh, This is Martin Luther King in the club, getting dubs, huh, With a bad bitch in his ear, sayin’ that she down for whatever, In the back of his mind is Coretta, And she knows, she knows, And I know she knows, and I know she knows, And deep down, she knows, she knows, And I know she knows, and I know she knows.
Courtney: I used this 30-second clip when interviewing 1 TikTok user from the Baby Boom Generation, Generation X, the Millennial Generation, Generation Z, and Generation Alpha. Now Typically, I have seen users create a multitude of conspiracy-type TikToks surrounding Beyonce, Kanye West, and Diddy with this sound. Without giving my interviewees this background info, I played the sound and asked them how they would interpret it and asked them to describe what kind of TikTok video they would create based on that sound. The first interview I conducted was with a user born during the baby boom generation, which spans from 1946 to 1964. Here is what she said:
Interviewee 1: I was born in 1950. I would interpret the Sound by hip hop and I would create a dance video with Martin Luther King in the A.I., kind of a TikTok video, and it would have that sound in the background.
Courtney: The next interview I conducted was with a user born during Generation X, which spans from 1965 to 1980. Here is what she said:
Interviewee 2: I was born in 1976. I would interpret this sound as a blend of old-school hip-hop, with a modern edge. I don’t create TikTok videos, but if I did, my video would be visual storytelling juxtaposing a younger, carefree version of myself with a more established, responsible, and mature lifestyle.
Courtney: Next, I interviewed a user born during the Millenial Generation, which spans from 1981 to 1996. This user was born in 1982 and here is what she said:
Interviewee 3: I would interpret this sound as being aggressive and I would create a funny video by pranking my husband with my fake aggression and to pretend to throw his stuff away video on TikTok with that sound.
Courtney: The next interview was with a user born in Generation Z, which spans from 1997 to 2010. Here is what he said:
Interviewee 4: I was born in 2005. I would interpret this sound for conspiracy theories surrounding Diddy and I would create a conspiracy kind of TikTok video with that sound using Diddy, the white party, and The Simpsons.
Courtney: The last generation I interviewed was a user from Generation Alpha, which spans from 2010 to 2024. Here is what she said:
Interviewee 5: I was born in 2015. I would interpret this sound as a savage mother and I would create a TikTok of a father hiding from his savage wife for the kind of TikTok video I would make with that sound.
Courtney: As we have heard, there are a lot of creative TikTok video ideas and interpretations from these various generations. Both the baby boom generation and Generation X interpret the sound as some form of hip-hop, while the millennial generation and Generation Alpha interpret the sound as some form of aggression. The oddball out is Generation Z, who interprets this sound most closely to the trending conspiracy videos using this sound on TikTok. Based on these results, it appears that the older generations interpret the sound in a more literal sense, while the newer generations interpret it more emotionally or creatively. For content creation, each generation had a unique idea and purpose for their TikTok that would evoke different emotions from their viewers. The baby boom and millennial generation went for a humorous type of TikTok, while Generation X went for conflictual, Generation Z went for educational or thought-provoking, and Generation Alpha went for a fearful type. These conclusions reflect the impact TikTok and TikTok’s trending sounds have on shaping the ways people understand each other, based on their interpretation of the sound, and themselves, based on their content creation ideas. As we conclude our exploration of TikTok’s influence on generational dynamics, let’s reflect on what we’ve discovered. Remember our initial question: How do TikTok users of different ages express their digital identities based on their interpretation and TikTok creation ideas for a viral sound? Well, the research has shown that there’s a clear generational divide in both interpretation and content creation ideas. Older generations tend to interpret the sound more literally and straightforward by the musicality of the sound or genre, while younger generations approach it with more emotional, abstract, or creative responses. Generation Z’s interpretation aligns most closely with current TikTok trends, suggesting they are most in tune with the platform’s culture. By contrast, older generations appear to be less influenced by current TikTok trends, so they are less in tune with the platform’s culture. The diversity in content ideas reflects how different generations express their digital identities and engage with the platform. TikTok’s format encourages users of all ages to engage creatively with audio-visual content, shaping each user’s digital identity in a unique way. As digital consumers and creators, understanding these generational dynamics is crucial. It can help you navigate the complex landscape of social media, specifically TikTok, enhancing your ability to communicate across age groups and refine your own digital identity. I hope this exploration has opened your eyes to the intricate ways TikTok shapes our digital culture. Thank you for joining me on Courtney’s Corner. Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Until next time, keep scrolling, keep creating, and keep connecting across generations!
J. Cole: And she knows, she knows, And I know she knows, and I know she knows.