No laughing matter: (self) ridiculing and reputational risk on Ghanaian and Zimbabwean TikTok

The positive branding of a country is vital in its global standing and recognition. In light of this, the Africa Rising campaign was launched to sell the potentials of the continent globally. However, some citizens do not always share the same reputational goals with their states. Their perceptions may conflict with the reputational agendas of state institutions. This paper argues that in an attempt to speak [in]directly to significant public issues, and in simple merrymaking, some Africans also unconsciously contribute to defaming their nations and the continent at large, exacerbating the long-standing problem of Afro-pessimism fueled by Western media. To examine this phenomenon, this qualitative study utilises a phenomenological paradigm and the framing theory to conduct a content analysis of 50 purposively selected Ghanaian and Zimbabwean TikTok videos. This study aims to establish that the production of these videos constitutes what we term ‘fun journalism’ that draws global attention to critical public issues on the continent but paradoxically results in what we conceptualise as self-defamation. In the end, the study shows that while the Western media is not exonerated from damaging Africa’s reputation globally, some Africans have unconsciously also contributed to this negativity by ‘ridiculing’ the motherland.