Why Does the Prison-Life Content on TikTok Feel So Familiar?
The New York Times Magazine, July 27, 2022: Why Does the Prison-Life Content on TikTok Feel So Familiar?
“Marci Marie, perky and ebullient and ready to laugh at the odd compromises of prison cooking, takes the edge off what could be a mildly depressing variety of video. She has filmed herself cooking numerous prison dishes — Coffee Balls, Cookie Rolls, Tater Tots, Chicken Nachos, Taffy, Prison Parfait — beginning each video much like any other TikTok home-cooking instructional: ‘Let’s make …’ And she insists on authenticity, often preparing the dishes with the exact ingredients available ‘on commissary’ (sandwich cookies, instant coffee, mashed-potato flakes, powdered creamer, Coke) in the exact style she used while incarcerated, hair dryers and all. Each video is like a viral ‘kitchen hack,’ only one the creator finds a little funny and sad and does not especially recommend.
“Others on the platform post similar videos. One demonstrates how to make a Prison Potato Log, which is like a giant tamale; another prepares a Prison Wrap, which is similar. There are even numerous cooking videos made by people who are still incarcerated: dishes cooked using methods that may or may not be prison-legal, the process recorded on phones that most likely aren’t. (You can watch clips that appear to show people deep-frying empanadas in a can, cooking eggs in a plastic bag or grilling wraps on a metal bunk.) The videos tend to be upbeat, and they’re often tinged with nostalgia. Marci Marie, for instance, says the Cookie Rolls were a special treat, made when someone had something to celebrate.
“The cooking is but a subset of the TikTok content made by formerly (and currently) incarcerated people. Some dedicate themselves to facing the camera and earnestly educating viewers about prison life, telling stories and answering questions. Marci Marie has answered many, including ‘Is it safe to make friends in prison?’ (yes), and responded to a message about how to iron clothes (soak in water, press with a cup or hot-pot lid, dry under your bed). Others describe the day of their release or how holidays were celebrated or the best form for burpees. The more you explore the prison-life content on TikTok, the more it seems to mirror all the popular genres of the platform — cooking, life advice, bored dancing, workout tips — until life on the inside ceases to seem quite so distinct from life on the outside.”
Additional reading:
NBC News, April 7, 2022: Out of prison, TikTok influencers are reshaping how we think about life behind bars
VICE News, November 12, 2020: Prisoners Are Going Viral on TikTok
Incarceration, April 24, 2022: Doing time online: Prison TikTok as social reclamation
