How TikTok’s ‘Stitch’ Feature Helps Debunk Misinformation: Georgetown Grad Students Share Their Research

Second-year CCT graduate students Kunjika Pathak and Riley Tinlin proudly represented Professor Leticia Bode’s Spring 2024 Misinformation & Society course at the 5th annual Character Assassination and Reputation Politics Research Lab Conference (CARP V). This year’s conference centered on the timely and critical theme of Gender, Power, and Politics in Character Assassination, bringing together scholars from across disciplines to explore how reputational attacks intersect with systems of power and identity.

Kunjika and Riley presented their research, “Stitching Refutations: Debunking Misinformation & Misogyny on TikTok,” which explores the power of participatory digital tools in the fight against misinformation. Their study specifically analyzed TikTok’s “Stitch” feature—a function that allows users to directly respond to and remix content—to understand how users mobilize the platform to refute harmful narratives and challenge misogynistic discourse.

The study examined how different refuter characteristics (race and gender) affect audiences’ responses to the refutation, addressing whether both what you say when refuting misinformation and misogyny and who is saying it have an effect. Their findings contribute to broader conversations around identity in digital advocacy, particularly in the context of combating misinformation in feminist and social justice spaces online.

This research is a testament to the innovative and socially engaged scholarship being done at the intersection of media, technology, and public discourse in Georgetown’s Communication, Culture & Technology program. Congratulations to Kunjika and Riley on this exciting achievement!