Tom Divon is a researcher of digital culture, with expertise in platform affordances, user-generated content, and playful behaviors. As a PhD student in the Department of Communication and Journalism at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Divon's research focuses on TikTok’s social-political playful cultures in three key areas: (1) users’ engagements with the Holocaust and history-related commemoration and education, (2) users’ performative combat in antisemitism, and religion-based community building, and (3) users’ affective activism manifested with the use of Palestinian and Israeli users in memetic practices (#challenges) for playful content creation in times of conflict.
Research Interests
TikTok Cultures
Memetic Participation
Platform Affordances and Vernaculars
Hate Speech and Activism
Play and Affect
Civic Education
Selected Publications
Cervi, L., and Divon, T. (2022). “Playful Activism: Memetic Performances of Palestinian Resistance on TikTok.” Social Media+Society.
Divon, T., & Ebbrecht-Hartmann, T. (2022) #JewishTikTok: The JewToks' Fight against Antisemitism. In TikTok Cultures in the United States (pp. 47-58). Routledge.
Divon, T., and Ebbrecht-Hartman, T. (2022). “GenZ and the Holocaust: TikTok as a Platform for Commemoration, Education and Creation.” Jewish Film & New Media.
Selected Presentations
Divon, T. (2021). Participatory Nationalism on TikTok: The Memeification of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Presented at the TikTok Cultures Research Network, Virtual Conference.
Divon, T. (2021) Playful Activism: Memetic Performances of Palestinian Resistance in TikTok Challenges. Presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Paris.
Divon, T., and Ebbrecht-Hartmann, T. (2022). Performing Death and Trauma? Participatory Mem(e)ory and the Holocaust in TikTok #POVchallenges. Presented at the AoIR Conference, Dublin City University (DCU), Dublin.
Divon, T. (2022). Playful Publics on TikTok. Presented at the Media and Publics Conference, Roskilde University, Roskilde.
Divon, T., and Ebbrecht-Hartmann, T. (2022). Can we learn about the Holocaust in 60 seconds? Modes of historical storytelling on TikTok. Presented at the 6th World Conference of the International Federation for Public History Conference, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin
Selected Workshops
Ebbrecht-Hartmann, T., and Divon, T. (2021-2022). TikTok Shoah Education & Commemoration, Seminar. Hosted by TikTok Germany, invited to consult in the development of long-term TikTok content strategy for 13 German institutions in the field of Holocaust education and commemoration.
Divon, T. (2022). QUT Digital Media Research Centre, Winter School. Hosted by the Queensland University of Technology, invited via a competitive application process to discuss skills and tools for Digital Media Research.
Ebbrecht-Hartmann, T., and Divon, T. (2022). Serious TikTok – Practices of Informing, Learning, and Explaining Complex Social Reality on TikTok. Hosted by the #SMSociety22 Virtual Conference.
Awards and Prizes
2022-2026: The President’s Scholarship for Outstanding PhD Students, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
2022: The Shimon Peres Prize for International Innovative Research and Practical Work related to the present and future relations between Germany and Israel
Teaching experience
2021-Present: Teaching Assistant at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Department of Communication and Journalism. Work with Prof. Limor Shifman in the course “Introduction to Mass Communication,” with Prof. Nicholas John in the course “New Media and Society” at the Internet and Society program, and with Prof. Paul Frosh in the course “Introduction to Visual Communication.”
Memberships in Academic Associations
International Communication Association (ICA)
TikTok Cultures Research Network (TCRN)
Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR)
Social Media Professional Advisory Committee (Claims Conference)
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA)