Social media content creators, Aiberdeen Mannie (@AiberdeenMannie on Instagram) and Celia (@Celiatoks on Tiktok) discuss using platforms like Instagram and Tiktok to reach out to wider audiences. How has their bite-sized content showcasing comic and satirical performances of cultural differences and identity markers appealed to audiences, gaining a significant internet following? What are the challenges involved in creating content that is primarily entertaining and has mass appeal, whilst still being a responsible representation of cultural and linguistic difference? What has been their process of using humour, satire and elements of accents and dialects to appeal to viewers, evoke nostalgia and challenge some deep-seated societal norms and practices? How has their content helped to make ‘the local’ relevant globally, and to familiarise global audiences with cultural and linguistic differences?

 

Celia: (@celiatoks) Celia is a Gloucester based social media personality, working as an Optometrist for the last 20 years and a mother of two teenage daughters, Lizzie and Rachael.  Her comedy skits, which she makes with her daughters, portray the parenting style and relationship between a stereotypical African mother and her teenage daughter. The aim of the videos is not just to entertain but to address, in a lighthearted way, how some socially accepted parenting norms in African homes can be damaging and toxic.

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Aiberdeen Mannie: (@aiberdeenmannie) is an Aberdeen based instagrammer, who has found success as an internet celebrity in the North East of Scotland and beyond, with his humorous content which uses North-East Scots language, accent and cultural practices to connect with his viewers. Establishing himself as an instagrammer in July 2019, the self-described ‘middle-aged mannie fae Aiberdeen’ now has nearly 13K followers.