From karaoke to lip-syncing: performance communities and TikTok use in Japan

Abstract

This paper discusses the versatile use of TikTok among Japanese media users in the context of the platform's increased appeal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Japanese users have adopted global trends of sharing creative content under prominent hashtags to spread a sense of togetherness in a time of social isolation. As social forms of entertainment are disrupted and paused, the practice of singing and dancing on TikTok is substituted for the joy of singing in a karaoke bar. This study adopts a walkthrough method to provide an analysis of TikTok's sociotechnical affordances and employs a content analysis for close reading of users’ videos and their accompanying captions and hashtags. The study reveals that the socialities previously afforded by karaoke cultures linger in TikTok song and idol dance challenges and duets, hashtag initiatives mimicking karaoke practices, and users’ endeavours to become ‘TikTok famous’.