Uses of TikTok and the Rise of Rural Influencers in Pakistan

Abstract

The study discusses emergence of rural Tik Tok influencers in Pakistan as a cultural performer, social negotiator and economic players in online industry. Despite the increasing global scholarly attention to the short-video sites and platforms, very little has been done regarding studying rural creators, especially in South Asia. The article was a qualitative exploratory paper based on the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) and the Social Identity Theory (SIT) and identified inductive thematic content analysis of 200 publicly accessible videos by 20 rural influencers. The analysis findings indicated that seven emergent themes exist, namely, folk music and oral traditions, patriotic and religious symbolism, redefinition of gender roles, disability and resilience, migration aspirations, social stigma and moral policing, and economic mobility through informal advertising. These issues elicit enabling and restrictive dynamics of digital interaction. On the positive side, the affected people retained some cultural heritage, improved visibility, experimented on identity and also ventured in small-scale livelihoods. They were mocked, bullied, policed on morality according to their gender and driven down to economic insecurity. Findings are positive as Tik Tok is being used as a cultural repository and a contested field where the empowerment and marginalization co-exist. The study expands on UGT and SIT by demonstrating how the two can be used to explain the cases of entertainment, recognition, and making identity, yet also demonstrates their lack when it comes to explaining stigma and structural inequalities. Practically, the project shows the need to be digitally inclusive, safeguard women, and establish economic projects at the grassroots to empower rural creators. Overall, the article helps the advancement of the scholarly knowledge of the rural influencer culture in Pakistan since it locates the Tik Tok platform as the location, where the culture, identity, and economy meet in multifaceted forms.