Witchcraft Culture and Magic Practices as an Example of Subculture on TikTok: WitchTok

Gülenay Pınarbaşı

Article Details

Witchcraft Culture and Magic Practices as an Example of Subculture on TikTok: WitchTok

Authors:

Gülenay Pınarbaşı

Publisher:

Sakarya University

Main Topics:

Kültürel çalışmalar

Journal:

Medya ve Kültür Vol.3 Issue 1, pp.90-128

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2023

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001291821

pISSN:

2791-6979

Keywords:

Abstract:

 TikTok, the application of the Chinese company ByteDance, based on humorous and ironic routines, daily life trends, creating and sharing short videos, was the most downloaded application in 2020. This study deals with the content published under the WitchTok tag on TikTok. Contemporary pagans and other modern practitioners of Witchcraft convey their magical practices through micro-videos. Moreover, some of these contemporary witch publishers claim to be doing digital activism. These contents teach spell recipes and the properties of the materials used, as well as how to use certain items, and provide advice on where to sell the materials. Publications labeled WitchTok reveal how magic is conceptualized in digital media, while showing how Witchcraft, which has a historical value, has been shaped by consumerism. The purpose of this research is to conduct descriptive research on the relationship between religious, cultural and economic values of the interaction created by the content producers, who define themselves as mystical activists, through TikTok. In this context, the most watched videos published with the WitchTok tag were examined. By making an exploratory evaluation of the videos discussed in the study, the question of how modern modernity is and the economic aspect of witchcraft are examined. As a result, commercialized pagan practices were identified. In the study, which established a dialectical relationship between TikTok and identity, it was revealed that socio-cultural imaginations have the potential to shape religious discourses and practices.

 TikTok, the application of the Chinese company ByteDance, based on humorous and ironic routines, daily life trends, creating and sharing short videos, was the most downloaded application in 2020. This study deals with the content published under the WitchTok tag on TikTok. Contemporary pagans and other modern practitioners of Witchcraft convey their magical practices through micro-videos. Moreover, some of these contemporary witch publishers claim to be doing digital activism. These contents teach spell recipes and the properties of the materials used, as well as how to use certain items, and provide advice on where to sell the materials. Publications labeled WitchTok reveal how magic is conceptualized in digital media, while showing how Witchcraft, which has a historical value, has been shaped by consumerism. The purpose of this research is to conduct descriptive research on the relationship between religious, cultural and economic values of the interaction created by the content producers, who define themselves as mystical activists, through TikTok. In this context, the most watched videos published with the WitchTok tag were examined. By making an exploratory evaluation of the videos discussed in the study, the question of how modern modernity is and the economic aspect of witchcraft are examined. As a result, commercialized pagan practices were identified. In the study, which established a dialectical relationship between TikTok and identity, it was revealed that socio-cultural imaginations have the potential to shape religious discourses and practices.

 TikTok, the application of the Chinese company ByteDance, based on humorous and ironic routines, daily life trends, creating and sharing short videos, was the most downloaded application in 2020. This study deals with the content published under the WitchTok tag on TikTok. Contemporary pagans and other modern practitioners of Witchcraft convey their magical practices through micro-videos. Moreover, some of these contemporary witch publishers claim to be doing digital activism. These contents teach spell recipes and the properties of the materials used, as well as how to use certain items, and provide advice on where to sell the materials. Publications labeled WitchTok reveal how magic is conceptualized in digital media, while showing how Witchcraft, which has a historical value, has been shaped by consumerism. The purpose of this research is to conduct descriptive research on the relationship between religious, cultural and economic values of the interaction created by the content producers, who define themselves as mystical activists, through TikTok. In this context, the most watched videos published with the WitchTok tag were examined. By making an exploratory evaluation of the videos discussed in the study, the question of how modern modernity is and the economic aspect of witchcraft are examined. As a result, commercialized pagan practices were identified. In the study, which established a dialectical relationship between TikTok and identity, it was revealed that socio-cultural imaginations have the potential to shape religious discourses and practices.

 Çinli ByteDance firmasının esprili ve ironik rutinleri, günlük hayatı, trendleri kısa videolar oluşturup paylaşmaya dayanan uygulaması TikTok, 2020 yılında en çok indirilen uygulama olmuştur. Bu çalışma, TikTokta, WitchTok etiketi altında yayınlanan içerikleri ele almaktadır. WitchTok, kendilerini cadı ve çağdaş pagan olarak takdim eden içerik üreticilerinin kullandığı bir etikettir. Modern cadılık uygulayıcıları; mikro videolar aracılığıyla, büyü uygulamalarını kullanıcılara aktarmaktadır. Bu içerikler, büyü tarifleri ve kullanılan malzemelerin özellikleri ile belirli nesnelerin nasıl kullanılacağını öğretmekte ve materyallerin nerede satıldığıyla ilgili tavsiyelerde bulunmakta ve yönlendirme yapmaktadırlar. WitchTok etiketli yayınlar, büyünün dijital mecralarda nasıl yeniden üretildiğini ortaya koyarken tarihte kutsal alana dair bir anlamı olan cadılığın tüketimcilik tarafından nasıl şekillendirildiğini göstermektedir. Bu araştırmanın amacı, kendisini spiritüel cadı olarak tanımlayan içerik üreticilerinin TikTok aracılığıyla oluşturduğu etkileşimin dinî, kültürel ve ekonomik değerlerle ilişkisine dair betimsel bir araştırma yapmaktır. Bu bağlamda; araştırmanın örneklemi, TikTok platformunda WitchTok etiketi ile yer alan videolar amaca yönelik örnekleme yöntemi ile seçilmiştir. Malzeme, en çok izlenen videolara gelen yorumların okunması yolu ile desteklenmiştir. Araştırma, TikTok platformu üzerinden geniş bir kitleye ulaşan cadılığın modern görünümünü anlama ve kutsalla olan ilişkisine yönelik bir yorumlama çabasıdır. Çalışmada ele alınan videolara betimsel bir değerlendirme yapılarak cadılığın ekonomik yönü incelenmektedir. Araştırmada sonuç olarak ticarileştirilmiş pagan uygulamalar tespit edilmiştir.

Article Details

Witchcraft Culture and Magic Practices as an Example of Subculture on TikTok: WitchTok

Authors:

Gülenay Pınarbaşı

Publisher:

Sakarya University

Main Topics:

Kültürel çalışmalar

Journal:

Medya ve Kültür Vol.3 Issue 1, pp.90-128

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2023

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001291821

pISSN:

2791-6979

TikTok

WitchTok

Witchcraft

Paganism

Social Media.TikTok

WitchTok

Cadılık

Neopaganizm

Sosyal Medya

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Gülenay Pınarbaşı

Publisher: Sakarya University

Main Topics: Kültürel çalışmalar

Journal: Medya ve Kültür Vol.3 Issue 1, pp.90-128

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2023

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001291821

pISSN: 2791-6979

Issues

Authors:

Gülenay Pınarbaşı

Publisher:

Sakarya University

Main Topics:

Kültürel çalışmalar

Journal:

Medya ve Kültür Vol.3 Issue 1, pp.90-128

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2023

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001291821

pISSN:

2791-6979