How to Spark Joy: Strategies of Depoliticization in Platform’s Corporate Social Initiatives

Despite social media companies’ public commitments to do good, they regularly face international criticism. This article explores how platforms engage in corporate public relations campaigns to negotiate social and political responsibilities. Through a qualitative analysis of the values promoted in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSocial media + society Vol. 10; no. 3
Main Author Scharlach, Rebecca
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England SAGE Publications 01.07.2024
Sage Publications Ltd
SAGE Publishing
Subjects
Companies
Governance
Happiness
Public relations
Qualitative research
Social media
Social values
Strategies
Well being
depoliticization
TikTok
corporate social responsibility
platform governance
platform values
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Summary:Despite social media companies’ public commitments to do good, they regularly face international criticism. This article explores how platforms engage in corporate public relations campaigns to negotiate social and political responsibilities. Through a qualitative analysis of the values promoted in the social initiative TikTok for Good, I show how TikTok promotes messages that amplify positivity, minimize negativity, and focus on individual well-being, while consistently assigning responsibility to other actors. Together, these strategies allow TikTok to symbolically empower users while maintaining control. I conceptualize these strategies that downplay and distance a company from conflicts associated with struggles over power as depoliticization by platforms. This study highlights platform companies’ soft forms of governance and demonstrates how the analysis of platform values allows researchers to cut through the strategic vagueness of claims to do good.
ISSN:2056-3051
2056-3051
DOI:10.1177/20563051241277601