Social media platforms come and go as quickly as the flash-in-the-pan trends that drive them. Sometimes it hardly seems worth it to get invested, since nobody's crying themselves to sleep over missing out on Snapchat or Vine. But every once in a while, something special comes along—and "something special" is the only way we can think of to describe TikTok.
Not only is it the birthplace of most of those strange modern e-trends, it also seems to cultivate a huge variety of them. First, you've got your personality-driven videos, like "Here's The *tap* *tap* Tea."
But you've also got trends based on stunts and camera trickery, like the Microwave Challenge.
There are even surprisingly complex and creative sketch trends like the "Steppin' I Don't Know" bit, which needs to be watched to be understood (make sure you have sound on for all of these, by the way).
And it's not just random internet folks: the Washington Post is fully invested in TikTok—or at least invested enough to have their weatherman dance on their roof in a dog costume.
And of course there's a lot of cross-platform videos, with this charming trend of TikTok stars inviting their mothers to watch TikTok trends with them. They explain what makes them interesting and remind them over and over again that these aren't people they know, they're random people online (wouldn't you believe it, moms are basically the same in every generation).
Basically, TikTok has made a big splash, and will likely be the starting point for the next weird meme that you first struggle to understand, then struggle to explain to your friends, and then finally embrace and emulate in your bedroom/roof/local police station holding cell.
Curious? Download the app to check it out now.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
