Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
Ephemeral Feeds
Algorithmic Communities
RushTok
Sorority Recruitment
Ephemeral Feeds and Enduring Rituals: RushTok and the Formation of Event-Based Algorithmic Communities
🤖 AI Summary
研究通过混合方法调查TikTok上RushTok现象，探讨基于事件的算法社区形成机制及其成员参与方式。
📝 Abstract
Each August, TikTok's For You page turns the University of Alabama's sorority recruitment into RushTok. We examine RushTok as an event-based algorithmic community: a collective assembled around a bounded offline ritual and sustained by recommendation. Using a mixed-methods survey (n=71) and a reflexive account of creator outreach, we ask who participates, how, and with what stakes. Findings show an ambiguous and entertainment based throughline; many called it a community (51/71) but few claimed membership (11/71). Affiliation centered on creators rather than shared practices, with parasocial attention clustering around a small set of potential new members (PNMs) and returning figures. Higher content exposure tracked with self-identification as a community member; those members commented, followed creators, and engaged across videos. Attempts to interview creators were met with silence or refusals, reflecting community boundary-work despite viral visibility. We outline implications for platform governance, including time-bounded context, graduated visibility, and aftercare.
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
event-based algorithmic communities
TikTok For You page
sorority recruitment
parasocial attention
platform governance
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