Culture

Eva Karadjian

Be Yourself, But Like This: Curated Narratives, Participation, and Power in Digital Subcultures

A headshot of a young woman with warm skin, long brown hair parted down the middle, and brown eyes. She has a small silver stud piercing on her right nostril and a gentle, natural smile. She is wearing a white button-up shirt with thin dark vertical stripes, unbuttoned at the collar to reveal a black top underneath and a silver necklace with a small smiling figure pendant. The background is an out-of-focus indoor setting.

Eva Karadjian is a fourth-year Professional Communication student at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her academic interests focus on the cultural foundations of communication and how communication functions as a tool for storytelling. She is particularly interested in how storytelling and communication influence cultural perspectives and the ways people engage with media. Alongside her academic work, Eva has a strong creative interest in photography and creative direction. She sees the intersection of creative practice and communication strategy as a powerful way to explore and tell meaningful stories, and build strong brand identities. By combining strategic and creative perspectives, Eva is passionate about producing work that communicates ideas visually, emotionally, and culturally across digital platforms. 

This research examines how digital subcultures, specifically on TikTok, shape participation and belonging through curated narratives, aesthetics, and shared practices. The study analyzes recurring trends, language, and visual styles within selected subcultural communities to understand how participation norms are created, communicated, and interpreted by users. It explores whether participation in these curated environments stem  from users’ desire to deepen authentic identity or from peer-driven expectations to conform. Through conducting a series of qualitative analyses and literature review, this study aims to understand how these dynamics influence perceptions of authenticity, belonging, and participation within digital subcultures. 

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