Visibility Under Constraint: Format Publics and the Politics of Visibility on TikTok Protest Videos During the Mahsa Amini Movement in Iran

Abstract

Short-video platforms have become important sites for protest communication, yet we know little about how visibility is negotiated when appearing on camera entails political risk. This study examines TikTok videos produced during the Mahsa Amini (“Woman, Life, Freedom”) movement in Iran under conditions of state repression and surveillance. Drawing on a mixed-methods content analysis of 145 videos, the study analyzes how narrative style, symbolic imagery, audio cues, and hashtag practices relate to two dimensions of visibility: reach and engagement. Symbolic visuals, such as hair cutting and scarf burning, are associated with higher reach, while original speech, ambient sound, and protest chants predict higher engagement. Hashtag practices show no meaningful relationship with reach. Building on these findings, the article advances the concept of format publics and conceptualizes visibility under constraint as a layered condition shaped by state surveillance and platform curation.