Research on gang-related content on social media in an African context is limited, if any exists at all, and this article provides an exploratory and descriptive narrative on this topic. The study establishes online geographies: mapping unique characteristics of the digital world, how it corresponds to the actual reality and what differences can be observed. Data were collected by conducting digital observation on TikTok, and only data originating from searches related to gangs in Cape Town, South Africa, were recorded. In this physical geographical location, TikTok facilitated new virtual territories in mainly two diverse online geographies. First is that of gang culture in the symbolic parading of the criminal life, exploring the creative abilities of TikTok. Gangs occupy the virtual space through communications, associations and threats. The second online geography is found in responses to gangs in the form of community activism and vigilantism, with a significant digital trajectory and aggressive material, aiming to facilitate social change.
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Derica Lambrechts (2024) studied this question.
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