'This Helped Me, Maybe It Helps You Too'

In recent years, TikTok has emerged as a powerful platform for health communication, particularly among young people navigating mental health challenges. This thesis investigates how eating disorder recovery content on TikTok, created by content creators with lived experience, is constructed to be persuasive. The analysis builds on two theoretical pillars: a rhetorical framework grounded in Aristotle's concept of ethos, pathos, and logos, and platform affordance theory, to highlight the possibilities and constraints embedded in the platform's technological design. This research adopts a qualitative research design with a rhetorical approach, analyzing 64 TikTok videos collected using the hashtag #eetstoornisherstel. The videos were selected through purposive sampling and analyzed using both inductive and deductive coding methods. Particular attention was given to the rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos, as well as to TikTok-specific visual and auditory affordances, vernaculars, and engagement metrics. Findings show that creators build crediblity not through traditional authority or expert status, but through personal experience, emotional resonance, and platform fluency. Relatability is central: creators share vulnerable moments, reflect on their own recovery journeys, and use specific examples that signal lived experience and an insider perspective. Burke's concept of identification proves especially relevant, as viewers are invited to see themselves reflected in the creator's narrative, fostering a sense of shared struggle and mutual understanding. Ethos on TikTok is thus central and deeply embedded in the platform's visual and emotional style. Creators also employ pathos by evoking emotional responses, such as empathy and hope, that draw viewers into the emotional dimensions of recovery. These appeals are often strengthened by the platform's multimodal features. Lastly, logos emerges not through the form of objective data, but through experience-based and logical reasoning: creators structure their stories to show patterns of progress, relapse, and insight, often offering advice or coping strategies grounded in personal experiences. Together, these rhetorical appeals foster trust and engagement, illustrating how persuasive power on TikTok operates through the interplay of credibility, emotional impact, and experiential logic, all shaped by the platforms' unique functionalities. Overall, this study contributes to media and communication studies by offering a rhetorical understanding of how persuasiveness is constructed in user-generated recovery content on TikTok. The findings offer practical insights for mental health organizations and educators aiming to engage audiences on platforms like TikTok, highlighting the persuasive potential of peer-based credibility. Moreover, effective communication on platforms like TikTok requires a nuanced understanding of platform-specific vernaculars. Encouraging interactive engagement can further strengthen community-building and enhance the persuasive power of mental health narratives. Together, these insights inform strategies for promoting trustworthy, relatable, and impactful mental health communication within digital peer networks.