TikTok as a site of epistemic engagement with gendered voices through indigenous African languages: Towards a decolonial digital feminist discourse framework

This study examines TikTok Live podcasts as digital neocolonial sites in which indigenous African languages challenge colonial-patriarchal hierarchies and renegotiate gendered partialities. The study constructs a theoretically grounded conceptual framework that positions indigenous African languages as critical epistemic resources for fostering equitable, plural and decolonial digital communication in the global information order. Situated in the South African context, where limited research has interrogated the role of indigenous languages in shaping gendered discourse on emerging social media platforms, the study addresses this gap through a conversation analysis approach embedded in critical discourse analysis. Approximately 30 TikTok Live podcast episodes, conducted in both colonially privileged languages and the previously marginalised Tshivenḓa, were observed. From these, 50 purposively selected verbatim chat and conversational extracts were analysed. The study findings demonstrate that female digital content creators strategically mobilise Tshivenḓa to disrupt hegemonic gender norms, legitimise indigenous epistemologies and construct counter-public digital spheres. While TikTok’s affordances enhance linguistic visibility and translocal engagement, its algorithmic governance and platform political economy constrain the durability of transformative discourse. In a nutshell, the study provides a crucial theoretical contribution by developing a framework that integrates linguistic practice, epistemic authority and platform governance as co-constitutive dimensions of digital resistance.