Research about the rhetorical moves used on TikTok has become very prominent in the

past few years, following the app's booming success after launching in 2016. There is evidence
showing that certain combinations of audios and hashtags alone can multiply the viewers of a
post (Wright, 2021). Mallard (2023) conducted research on the ways that posting interactive
content on TikTok has boosted the number of streams of independent artists on Spotify. There
has also been research conducted on the use of TikTok by Taylor Swift fans, such as a study
done by Resnick (2021), who made the argument that Taylor’s fans use the platform to
encourage extreme theories within the fandom.
While all previous research done in these areas is important in its own distinct way, my
research wishes to combine these two areas of study. The research will answer two sequential
questions; How do swiftie influencers Steven Sullivan, Ashley Nicholson, and Alecksis Victoria
on TikTok use rhetoric to engage with their audiences? Which aspects of their multimodal
content are the most engaging, effective, persuasive, and/or memorable? Previous research
has proven that certain rhetorical and literary choices can boost engagement on TikTok,
however more research is needed on how those rhetorical moves are used within discourse
communities. Specifically the Taylor Swift, or “Swiftie” community.
To answer these questions, I will conduct research on the rhetorical moves used by
swiftie influencers by conducting textual analysis of TikTok videos through a rhetorical and
multimodal frame. I will specifically be looking to find the purpose and content of the genre, the
intended audience, and how the combination of modes such as linguistic, spatial, and audio are
used to support the creators argument.