Migrant worker, social media influencer?: The role of TikTok in telling migrant worker stories

Since the start of the pandemic, there has been extensive reporting about the role of video app TikTok as a tool for migrant workers to keep others informed, raise grievances and document their lives as content creators – often with humour. 

TikTok is a short-form video sharing application where 15-second videos can be made on any topic, offering a wide selection of sounds, song snippets and filters. Anyone with access to a smartphone that can support the application can ostensibly become a content creator and any video that strikes a chord with viewers has a chance to be seen by a global audience.  

We wanted to see if the increasing visibility of TikTok use in migrant worker communities has any lessons learnt that can be used to promote greater agency in the world of work. ReAct spoke with Dr Liberty Chee, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow at Ca' Foscari University of Venice who has done some research about the way migrant workers are using TikTok to frame their experiences. 

ReAct: What first sparked your interest in examining this topic? 

Liberty Chee: I read a news item that came out in August last year. It was a feature in the New York Times about migrant domestic workers who create TikTok videos. I remember being really surprised at the content, how honest they were and the creativity of the form, how they put together these videos. Some even made something like a web series – showing their audience aspects of their lives in a tongue-in-cheek and humorous way.  

I kept on looking, and I realised there were so many of these videos out there. I of course research different aspects of migrant domestic work. So, I am very interested in new phenomena and avenues of inquiry.  

R: Why do you think TikTok has become so popular with the migrant worker community? 

LC: TikTok became a big hit during Covid for everyone, especially during the lockdowns. I remember seeing friends and family posting videos on social media. It seemed it was to have fun, to alleviate boredom, to destress under really stressful times.   

For migrant workers, it was of course the same. But where for us the immobility, the isolation and loneliness were temporary, for them it is a permanent feature. In a way, many of us ‘simulated’ what life is like for a domestic worker. It is a very isolated life. If you are not lucky to get a day off every weekend, it can be very lonely. It is difficult to have a work-life balance when you live where you work. And in a way you are consumed by work, being always on call. And you really have no one else to talk to, to commiserate, to share your feelings, your thoughts and experiences. No ‘co-workers’ even, just clients.  

Photo: Brenda Dama, via TikTok

R: You talk about the role of 'counter-conduct', in the sense migrant workers are capable of resistance from small acts of subversion like making videos to satirise their employers. Especially where information is lacking on knowing one's rights, do you think social media has been used as a tool to socialise and educate other migrant workers about labour issues?  

LC: From the videos I have seen, talk of their working conditions is incidental. In a way they are simply documenting their lives – they want to be seen, to be witnessed, to be seen to matter. They comment on each other’s videos and make response videos. They are there to live virtual lives because of the limits of their living and working conditions.  

I purposely sampled workers who are working in the Middle East, and they are governed by kafala. It is one of the most restrictive migration regimes – even compared to East Asia. So, they also talk about the difficulties. They give advice to each other, they give warnings, they give tips on how to survive in these conditions. But again, this is secondary. And very practically oriented. It just happens as a natural extension of their online engagement.  

R: A lot of the content that you've seen from the community speaks of labour exploitation in the format of comedic videos, which make light of problematic situations. Do you think that TikTok has become a way for migrant workers to air their grievances in lieu of other formalised grievance channels being made available to them? 

LC: As I mentioned, I do not think the videos are made for this purpose – to air grievances. There is very little talk of formal institutions – governments, embassies, etc. It’s to support each other, keep spirits up, to have fun with each other. The rest of us – we are a secondary audience. 

R: From the research you have done, do you feel that local attitudes may be changing towards migrant workers who are using social media as a platform to spotlight social issues in each jurisdiction? 

LC: The videos’ portrayal of locals is not flattering. There were some who referred to a popular singer who made disparaging remarks about domestic workers on television. These videos made fun of that. This was the only medium where they could do it – because clearly, they could not do this in the public sphere – in the ‘real world.’ Like I said – these videos are not aimed to change minds or to advocate.  

Dr Liberty Chee is an academic in the international relations field, her research draws from feminist political economy, political theory, and migration studies. She is engaged in new research investigating how various actors engage the International Labour Organization in making knowledge claims about domestic work and how the ILO's norm-setting activities diffuse to and from the European Union. From the Philippines and a self-described ‘circular migrant’ since 2007, she has worked on projects in the non-profit sector on topics as diverse as reproductive health, indigenous land rights, and gender and natural disasters.