‘The behind-the-scenes we were never supposed to see’: Resisting,reframing,and reinforcing incarceration stigmas on Prison TikTok

Abstract

In the United States, individuals who are incarcerated are often rendered invisible to the broader public, isolated within the confines of prison walls. Social media, however, has become a way for these individuals to gain visibility, challenge stigmas, and create new avenues for power and resistance. Through a qualitative analysis of videos created inside prisons, audience interactions with these videos, and interviews with formerly incarcerated TikTok creators, I identify three ways through which creators engage with stigma: portraying prisons as sites of neglect and deprivation, documenting creative persistence amidst institutional failure, and humanizing themselves through participation in digital culture. These practices enable connection and recognition but also expose creators to intensified surveillance and risk, as audiences act as enforcers of carceral logics. I conclude by considering the implications of these media practices, situating Prison TikTok within wider debates about new technologies, and examining how such content reshapes public understandings of carceral life.