Behind the terms and conditions

implicit discourses within TikTok's institutional texts

Authors

  • Nicholle Murmel Universidade Federal do Paraná
  • Prof. Dr. Fedral University of Paraná
  • Prof. Dr. University of Coimbra

Keywords:

Surveillance capitalism, Platformization, Digital vulnerabilities, Digital nationalism, TikTok

Abstract

This paper analyses TikTok's institutional discourse in the light of surveillance capitalism, platformization and digital nationalism concepts. By collecting institutional texts from the platform's Brazilian website, we seek to understand how it legitimizes the mining of human data for profit in the eyes of the public. In return, TikTok offers a protected space for individuals to express themselves and interact, according to a logic that subtly echoes the Chinese government's digital and media governance of the country's public sphere. The duality of this platform, created in China, but globally popular, points to future competition between eastern and western platformization models that are similar in the ways they generate profit, but different in terms of what they allow and expect from people. In the end, we conclude that TikTok’s public discourse establishes predefined ways of existence within its environment, and offers them as a safe community in exchange for the data of those who are inside the platform.

Author Biographies

  • Nicholle Murmel, Universidade Federal do Paraná

    Doutoranda do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Gestão da Informação da Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR). Mestre pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Comunicação da UFPR e graduada em Comunicação Social com habilitação em Jornalismo pela mesma universidade. Pesquisadora do grupo de pesquisa Information & Media Lab – InfoMedia. Bolsista do Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).

    PhD student in the Postgraduate Program in Information Management at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR). She holds a Master's degree from the Graduate Program in Communication at UFPR and a degree in Social Communication with a major in Journalism from the same university. Researcher in the Information & Media Lab - InfoMedia research group. Holds a fellowship from the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES).

    Doctoranda del Programa de Postgrado en Gestión de la Información de la Universidad Federal de Paraná (UFPR). Tiene maestría por el Programa de Posgrado en Comunicación de la UFPR y licenciatura en Comunicación Social con especialización en Periodismo por la misma universidad. Investigadora del grupo de investigación InfoMedia del Inrformation & Media Lab. Becaria de la Coordinación para el Perfeccionamiento del Personal de Enseñanza Superior (CAPES).

    https://lattes.cnpq.br/0196604080766113

  • Prof. Dr., Fedral University of Paraná

    PhD in Communication from the University of São Paulo (USP). Has done post-doctoral work at the Complutense University of Madrid and the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Permanent professor in the Postgraduate Program in Information Management and in the Postgraduate Program in Communication at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) and at the undergraduate course in Information Management at the same institution. Leader of the Information & Media Lab (InfoMedia). research group

  • Prof. Dr., University of Coimbra

    PhD of Letters in the area of Documentary Sciences, specializing in Information Technologies from the Faculty of Letters of the University of Coimbra. Associate Professor with Aggregation in Information Science at the University of Coimbra. Professor of the Doctorate and Master's in Information Science and all the undergraduate courses at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Coimbra. Co-coordinator of the Digital Humanities Group of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of the 20th Century (CEIS20) at the University of Coimbra.

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Published

2025-11-05

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Vol. 30 (2025): Publicações em Fluxo Contínuo 2025

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Behind the terms and conditions: implicit discourses within TikTok’s institutional texts. (2025). Perspectivas Em Ciência Da Informação, 30, e53291. https://periodicos.ufmg.br/index.php/pci/article/view/53291