(Re) Creating the Existing : is UGC applicable to creative and innovative assessments?

Abstract: There is extensive research on creativity and innovation, as well as the question of whether UGC and social media platforms foster creativity or dumb down culture. There is however a gap in research on how creative and innovative UGC is. The purpose of this study is therefore to investigate the creative motivations behind creating UGC and whether the UGC on TikTok is applicable to creative and innovative assessments. The study is conducted through a netnographic observation. Specifically, it is a case study of the content and creative process of Swedish creator Björn Holmgren on TikTok. This study observes the process of Holmgren first posting a tiktok (video on TikTok) where he added his own verse to the popular song “Satan i gatan” by the Swedish artist Veronica Maggio, to releasing his own song “Ut med allt”, based on that first tiktok. The findings of this thesis demonstrate that motivational factors vary, but the importance of place, i.e., the infrastructure of TikTok as well as cultural perspectives and contexts are strong contributing factors. Through creative assessments, the UGC on TikTok could be considered creative from the extent of everyday life expressions of creativity, to professional-level creativity, which the netnographic observation on Holmgren’s content proved. Lastly, by definition, UGC in the form of Holmgren’s finished song “Ut med allt” could be considered innovative. Whilst the existing forms of innovative assessments are not really applicable to UGC today, however, we do not see how they could not evolve to be in the future.