Skinamarink and the algorithmic uncanny interface between children's and horror film TikTok cultures
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Skinamarink , the surprise micro-budget horror film sensation of 2023, gained unexpected international exposure by going viral on TikTok after the film was accidentally leaked online. The film's virality was propelled by an algorithmically driven cross-pollination between forces at seemingly oppositional ends of the taste-cultural spectrum – horror film and children's cultures. Extending theorisations of the digital and algorithmic uncanny, the article outlines how the TikTok algorithm and young platform users collaborated to position a film regarded as one of the most terrifying of the year as a participatory ‘challenge’ that adopts TikTok dynamics popular with children such as ‘intensified play’.
Author: Jessica Balanzategui
Institution: RMIT University
Language: English
Subfield: Cultural Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,450
OpenAlex ID: W4403226025