Date of Publication
12-2025
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Communication Major in Applied Media Studies
Subject Categories
Film and Media Studies
College
College of Liberal Arts
Department/Unit
Communication
Thesis Advisor
Ruepert Jiel D. Cao
Defense Panel Chair
Ma. Angela S. Labador
Defense Panel Member
Christianne F. Collantes
Samuel Cabbuag
Abstract (English)
Filipino mothers are increasingly turning to TikTok Shop’s Affiliate Program as a flexible form of livelihood, using short-form videos to promote household items, self-care products, and parenting tools. Referred to in this study as “TikTok affiliate moms” – a term reflecting their preferred self-identification rather than broader labels such as ‘momfluencers’ or ‘content creator moms’ – these mothers blend caregiving duties with digital entrepreneurial work by engaging in everyday visibility labor: strategic and sustained efforts to stay relevant on the platform. Guided by Abidin’s (2016) frameworks on visibility labor, calibrated amateurism, and relatability, this research approaches TikTok affiliate work as gendered digital labor and examines how these mothers navigate boundaries between intimate family life, content creation, and monetization within culturally specific expectations of motherhood.
While global scholarship has examined digital motherhood in Western contexts, limited research focuses on Filipino mothers participating in micro-influencer economies shaped by local values and the affordances of TikTok. Addressing this gap, the study analyzes seven case studies representing diverse motherhood identities to understand: 1) the nature and dynamics of labor involved in affiliate work and short-form content creation on TikTok; 2) the performance of relatability and authenticity within mothers’ visibility practices; and 3) the role of Filipino values of diskarte (resourcefulness), aruga (care), and hiya (modesty) in shaping caregiving, boundary-making, and the transformation of private care into public digital work.
The production component, Yellow Basket Moms (@yellowbasketmoms), functions as a knowledge translation tool and collaborative storytelling space, foregrounding participants’ voices while archiving their practices of care, digital work, and visibility on TikTok.
Keywords: visibility labor, affiliate work, motherhood, TikTok moms, Filipino values, domesticity
Abstract Format
html
Abstract (Filipino)
Nagiging mas karaniwan para sa mga Pilipinong nanay ang pagsali sa TikTok Shop Affiliate Program bilang isang praktikal at flexible na paraan ng kabuhayan. Kadalasan, nagpo-post sila ng maiikling bidyo upang i-promote ang mga gamit sa bahay, produktong pansarili, at iba’t ibang childcare items. Ginagamit sa pag-aaral na ito ang terminong TikTok affiliate moms dahil ito ang tawag sa mismong ginagamit nila upang tukuyin ang kanilang ginagawa, sa halip na mas malawak na label na “momfluencers” o “content creator moms”. Pinagsasabay nila ang pag-aalaga at digital na pagnenegosyo sa pamamagitan ng araw-araw na visibility labor – mga estratehiyang nagpapanatili sa kanilang presensya at pagkakakilanlan sa platform. Gamit ang mga konsepto ni Abidin (2016) tulad ng visibility labor, calibrated amateurism, at relatability, tinuturing ng pag-aaral na ito ang affiliate work sa TikTok bilang isang anyo ng gendered digital labor at sinusuri kung paano nila pinapagitna ang buhay-pamilya, paglikha ng content, at monetization sa konteksto ng kultural na pamantayan ng pagiging ina.
Bagama’t malawak na ang literatura tungkol sa digital motherhood sa mga kontekstong Kanluranin, nananatiling kulang ang pananaliksik na nakatuon sa mga Pilipinong nanay na nakikibahagi sa micro-influencer economies na hibuhubog ng lokal na pagpapahalaga at mga affordance ng TikTok. Bilang tugon, sinusuri ng research ang pitong case study na kumakatawan sa iba’t ibang karanasan at identidad ng pagiging ina upang maunawaan: (1) ang katangian ng affiliate work at short-form content creation sa TikTok; (2) ang pagganap ng relatability at authenticity sa visibility practices ng mga ina; at (3) ang papel ng Filipino values – diskarte, aruga, at hiya – sa paghubog ng caregiving, boundary-making, at pagbabagong anyo ng gawaing pampribado na ngayo’y lumalabas bilang pampublikong digital na content.
Ang production component na Yellow Basket Moms (@yellowbasketmoms) ay nagsisilbing daluyan ng kaalaman at kolaboratibong espasyo para sa mga kwento ng mga nanay. Sa pamamagitan nito, nabibigyan ng puwang ang boses ng mga kalahok habang nalalagom at nai-a-archive ang kanilang care practices, digital labor, at visibility sa TikTok.
Keywords: visibility labor, affiliate work, motherhood, TikTok moms, Filipino values, domesticity
Abstract Format
html
Language
English
Format
Electronic
Keywords
Motherhood--Philippines; Internet videos--Philippines; Mothers—Employment--Philippines
Recommended Citation
Costales, S. D. (2025). “Click the yellow basket!”: Exploring TikTok affiliate moms’ visibility strategies and cultural values through a multiple case study approach. Retrieved from https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_comm/22
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Embargo Period
12-9-2026
