Media control and the protection of family values: Case study of the current practices of women TikTok users in Egypt

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rise of TikTok video usage and sharing worldwide. Meanwhile, the 2018 Cyber Crime Law has been activated against the so-called women TikTokers in Egypt who were accused and arrested for violating ‘family values’ and ‘inflaming debauchery’. Public opinion expressed that media control is a grey area that includes ambiguous description of these violations. Social scrutiny became viral on social media platforms, inciting a debate over the prosecution of those women. This article is a case study that explores the play behaviour of women TikTok users in Egypt. Through employing a content analysis method, it seeks to find out whether users resist or adapt to the strict media control. Findings revealed that women TikTok users have several motives for their adopted behaviours, such as the fear of missing out (FoMO) and self-expression. Audiences who interpreted the behaviours TikTok women adopted as immoral used hashtags for social activism and generated content to oppress women based on gender rather than fairly evaluating their play behaviours. The research highlights key practices that women TikTok users are currently using in order to adapt to the vague ‘Egyptian family values and morals’. Whether mimicking a meme, performing and/or singing, women TikTok users have been considering their conservative cultural context carefully to avoid the severe consequences that pervious women TikTokers have faced. Furthermore, women TikTok users are reluctant to boldly resist the strict media control in Egypt. Instead of using controversial sex appeal, they resort to using humour for garnering views and utilizing the platform’s entertainment nature.