Author(s): Tyler Shortino
Mentor(s): Dana Comi
Institution UVU
Mommy influencers have become popular creators of social media content on platforms like TikTok. These women gain large follower bases by posting videos showcasing their ways of mothering and modeling an image of motherhood for other users. This image is often a traditional representation of the stay-at-home mom that our history of entertainment has long upheld. However, through this digital format, the exhibition of one’s mothering undergoes mediated disclosure. A curated performance of the idealistic mother is available for other women to view, envy, and/or attack. This presentation is an exploration of how motherhood, specifically its position in mommy influencer content on TikTok, appeals to users as it represents ideologies and preys on the social value of mediated disclosure–reinforcing both by social force. I will examine mommy influencer content alongside an analysis of the creator-user relationship with the purpose to reveal messages being created and upheld through social media engagement. This presentation works to frame portrayals of motherhood in this context to open mommy influencing as a genre of content for future study, expanding our awareness to value placed on mediated disclosure across social media spaces.