Nader Hotait

Nader Hotait

Sociologist, Research and Data Scientist

Blog posts

2022

Swipe with Caution: Unveiling the TikTok Algorithm and its Gateway to Problematic Content through Engagement with Martial Arts

less than 1 minute read

Published:

On August 9th, 2022, I undertook a self-experiment to investigate the underlying mechanisms of TikTok’s algorithmic curation. The specific approach involved immersing myself in a focused stream of martial arts content, aiming to comprehend the platform’s content recommendation system. My curiosity stemmed from a Media Matters study on TikTok, who did a similar approach for transphobic and right-wing-extremist content. Methodologically, the self-experiment entailed a comprehensive day-long observation (or rather consumption) of TikTok, during which I exclusively engaged with martial arts content and followed five accounts associated with Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

Muslim Interaktiv. Or: How to Leverage TikTok for Political Influence

less than 1 minute read

Published:

This blog presents a study on the TikTok activities of Muslim Interaktiv, a group often linked to Hizb ut-Tahrir, although this is contested. The primary objective of this research is to gain insights into their effective occupation of digital discourses and their ability to amass spectatorship for their content. By examining their strategies, I aim to identify knowledge on one way virality is fostered on TikTok. Additionally, I argue the urgency for practitioners to adopt similar tactics to engage in these very discourses for social good. To achieve this, I have transcribed, coded, and analyzed of all Muslim Interaktiv videos for the year 2021. The findings are presented below.

The Importance of Muslim Grievance in Public Communication - Exploring German Muslim Organizations on Twitter

47 minute read

Published:

This post examines Twitter accounts of German Muslim organizations, specifically Generation Islam (GI), which is mostly labelled as radical in the German context. The study highlights the significance of grievance as a central theme for GI and compares the response of other organizations towards Muslim grievances - i.a. how they lack similar level of condemnation. Graphs visually represent and compare the role of grievances for GI, while commentary provides interpretations. Coding details and prerequisites can be skipped, focusing on the graphs and commentary for a concise understanding of the topic.