Doing time online: Prison TikTok as social reclamation    

Abstract

In recent years, the United States government along with prison authorities have worked to pass laws preventing incarcerated people from accessing cellular technology and using social media behind bars. Yet through the acquisition of contraband cell phones, some incarcerated people have subverted these laws to create a presence on social media, particularly on the popular social media app TikTok. We introduce the term social reclamation to describe the use of social media by imprisoned people to achieve three primary goals: (1) to remain connected to society through engagement with current social and cultural trends, (2) to reclaim self-narratives of everyday life by sharing lived experiences behind bars, and (3) to expose the unseen dehumanizing reality of prison industrial complex. Through the analysis of select prison TikTok videos we situate these acts of social reclamation on Rubin’s continuum of friction-resistance, and we conclude by juxtaposing our findings to state-centered narratives that claim cell phone use in prison poses a threat to public safety.

Banishment, Grounding, and Excommunication: A Typology of Punitive Isolation

“…To cope with the isolation that comes with prison structure, rules, and surveillance, many prisoners risk increasing or toughening their sentences by using cell phones and the internet to contact family, friends, and even strangers. In fact, prisoners' use of social media indicates their necessity to keep in touch not only with specific people but with society in general and thus reclaim their place in it (Schlosser and Feldman 2022:2).…”

“Prison TikTok”: Incarcerated Life Shared on Social Media

“…It is important to understand what is being posted as these individuals may be using TikTok as a way to communicate and mitigate pains of incarceration. Schlosser and Feldman (2022) discuss Prison TikTok as a way for those incarcerated to "reclaim" their ties with society and that those ties promote well-being. These videos give the public a glimpse into the lives of those incarcerated.…”