Lil Nas X, TikTok, and the Evolution of Music Engagement on Social Networking Sites

Citation

Avdeeff M (2023) Lil Nas X, TikTok, and the Evolution of Music Engagement on Social Networking Sites. In: Kannen V & Langille A (eds.) Virtual Identities and Digital Culture. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003310730-26/lil-nas-tiktok-evolution-music-engagement-social-networking-sites-melissa-avdeeff

Abstract
This chapter explores the shift in participatory media practices and music fandom that has occurred with the rise of TikTok, and how music, sociability, and creativity have converged on the platform. It presents a brief overview of the evolution of music on social networking sites. The chapter outlines a distinct type of playful fandom that has developed on TikTok, where users have become cultural intermediaries, translating and embodying the musical content of others, encouraging remix and virality, and subsequently impacting the traditional music charts as the popularity is extended “offline.” Lil Nas X and “Old Town Road” are used as a case study to demonstrate this process, as one of the first artists to capitalise on this pathway to success. Success on the TikTok platform translated into 19 weeks in the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, as the platform intermediaries shifted to the backstage and the mainstream visibility of Lil Nas X, as celebrity figure, emerged.