Week 8

This week I focused on categorizing the videos more deeply beyond just rhetorical strategies. I started grouping them by tone (e.g., angry, playful, curious) and found a surprising overlap between comedic delivery and strong conspiratorial messaging. This helped me better understand how some Flat Earth TikToks gain traction by packaging radical claims inside memes and humor.

I also noticed a new layer of engagement patterns—many of these creators are actively building communities, not just views. By encouraging comments, stitching other creators, or promoting live Q&As, they’re turning what looks like misinformation into a social movement. I logged these patterns in a spreadsheet and marked creators who use these strategies most effectively.

Next week I’ll start testing how consistently these techniques appear across content from repeat creators. My hypothesis is that the more a creator leans into identity-building with their audience, the more likely their rhetoric gets shared—even if it’s extreme or unfounded. This week I also started cross-referencing the marketing strategies I’m using on my internship’s social media accounts with the rhetorical strategies I have recorded in the Flat Earth Tiktoks.