What (my) people think I do: New Italians and Transnational Imaginaries of Migrations in a TikTok Ethnography

Abstract

Social media, particularly TikTok, has become a key platform for the "New Italians" (the so-called "second generation"), young people of migrant descent who have achieved national and sometimes international success. They navigate the neoliberal economy, engaging in the "attention economy" and "visibility labor" (Abidin 2020). Despite their diverse video styles, these young people utilize social media to challenge migration stereotypes and critique exclusionary policies and the rhetoric of multiculturalism (Bachis 2023). While their content is rarely explicitly political, it reveals a "memetic dimension" of political expression (Literat and Kligler-Vilenchik 2019) and a "memefication" of intergenerational politics (Zeng and Abidin, 2021). The article focuses on a specific TikTok trend: the "What-people-think-I-do/What-I-really-do" video meme, juxtaposing stereotypical expectations with personal realities. These videos, aimed at relatives in migrants' countries of origin or the "homeland," reflect intergenerational relationships and cultural expectations in Italy. These videos create an irreverent discourse around social norms regarding migration through the use of irony, exaggeration, and the subversion of stereotypes. By crafting inside jokes that bridge generations, the meme reshapes imaginaries about migration and mobility in transnational social spaces.