How Social Class and TikTok Shape New Mothers' Identities

Description of research project: 

Personalized algorithims are reshaping how users of social medua understand their identities and relate to others. This project seeks to understand how these dynamics take shape in the realm of contemporary motherhood and TikTok, as new mothers turn to online communities to construct their sense of motherhood and build their identities as mothers. While sociologists have studied how social class profoundly impacts the way women mother, little research has explored how social media is reshaping these dynamics. This is a qualitative research study that uses interviews with newly postpartum mothers to understand how they use TikTok to construct their mothering identities and how social class impacts this process.

Description of work that will be assigned to research assistants:

Students will have the opportunity to read relevant literature related to social media, identity construction, social class and motherhood. The primary assignments will involve reading and cleaning interview data. There is potential for students to learn how to code and write analytical memos. 

Supervising Faculty Member: Paige Sweet

Graduate Student: Michelle Cosens

Contact information: mrrabaut@umich.edu

Average hours of work per week: 3-4 

Range of credit hours students can earn: 1 credit

Number of positions available: 2