Foreword
The bible says God has final judgement, but it seems that TikTok might provide some aid to Him in that realm. Whether self inflicted or of other figures, TikTok users have centered prolific amounts of content on the platform towards sarcastic judgmental rhetoric. One might call it a commentary on the world, but they would probably be roasted on TikTok for being too deep. The users are more apt than on any other platform to question the validity of the content in front of them and thus content has become sarcastic so that it doesn’t have to be correct. Navigating this content style can be a mine field, but we’ll help guid you through it. Join us as we explore through the trends and popular culture that surround the app every week, and how you can utilize it to best engage with your audience.
The Trends
#1 You look so dumb right now
78.1k videos on the sound
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, the majority of trend content on TikTok has to do with making fun of oneself or others and this trend is no exception. Users are presenting extremely funny play-on-words which portray themselves as if they know more about a subject than somebody who is well versed, and they consequently vastly oversimplify the idea. Each video is more creative than the next so we’d suggest you watch some of the examples below to get a better idea.
Examples:
Applicability:
This trend is inherently self deprecating and brands should use it to buy into the culture on the platform. By conceding a point against a competitor brand in a sarcastic way, brands help gain the trust of users as they are showing they aren’t trying too hard to simply make money.
#2 Outline
429.3k videos with the effect
There’s a new filter on TikTok and users have been very quick to make a trend with it. TikTok released a new drawing filter last week which has allowed users to sketch on their screen while recording a video. Creators decided to use this feature to outline and sketch their face and the fad has taken off. It’s likely just textbook narcissism taking place here but users are loving drawing themselves and these videos have been plastered across the for you page for the last week or so.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will simply want to replicate the trend, drawing faces of popular brand reps or potentially brand mascots.
#3 The photo
173.7k videos on the sound
You know when someone asks you to pull up a photo of your significant other and you have that one go to photo? Well that is “the photo” which has made its way into a trend format on TikTok. Many mainly female users have taken this idea, found their “the photo” and posted it to some music on TikTok. It’s a very simple trend which creators are utilizing for the single purpose of showing off themselves looking good. And if things stay true to past times on TikTok, stay tuned for next week when the trend adapts to be sarcastic variations making fun of people that try so hard to look good.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands can find very random or weird brand images to use as their “the photo” in a sarcastic sense or do a good job modeling brand products.
For example Barbie could recreate the trend with Barbie dolls in flattering poses that replicate many real life social media photo trends.
#4 Oh I messed up
84.0k videos on the sound
Sometimes we dig ourselves in holes and this trend is portraying when users get caught. Creators will show screenshots of text messages which don’t seem right. After every time showing a risky message a key will be played in the intense sound and the video cuts to photos of a panicked graphic character. The screenshot here is of a GTA cutscene which implies the circumstances of being in trouble even further. The progression alternates between screenshot of the text message and screenshot of the character until the text conversation has been fully covered, but at the end of the day the idea here lies in the fact that the creator got caught trying to lie their way out of trouble with somebody close to them.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to stage funny conversations with a brand rep or the brand mascot where they get in trouble for a menial misdoing.
#5 I gotta put me first
76.4k videos on the sound
Sarcastic narcissism and selfishness on TikTok is at an all time high and this trend is yet another example of users putting themselves first. Videos portray situations in which users experience a very minor inconvenience or challenge in their life where they decide to put themselves first. Most scenarios are true and are a joking way of users reflecting on some of their non harmful sins.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands can use this to highlight times when they get an advantage. For example a brand joking about making their prices too high or being closed one day of the week works perfectly.
#6 Thundercat walk
173.7k videos with the effect
Just like any dance trend or viral movement on TikTok, this trend is very simple and thus many users are participating with it and enjoying the videos it creates. Creators will use a skewed filter to make themselves look like slender man and walk in a zigzag pattern to give the giant effect.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands should replicate this with a popular brand rep or mascot.
Trends from last week that keep climbing
#7 She was like a shot of espresso
143.9k videos on the sound
The week on TikTok marked an era of Andrew Garfield on the platform. After the recent release of Spiderman No Way Home, Andrew has been a widely popular topic on the platform and users have been digging through old viral clips of him to use as audio. In this trend viewers pulled an old video of Andrew talking about his former love for Emma Stone when he had a very sweet line describing the feeling she gave him. Famously, Andrew described her as if she were like taking a shot of espresso. TikTok creators have used the line for many different applications, including to describe their significant others, yet some of the more humorous videos have been based in sarcasm. Many users are joking that they’ve never been called a shot of espresso and then commenting that they’ve instead been called a slander. They’re all very self deprecating and stick in line with theme of self deprecation on the platform.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to use this to describe their products. The weirder the pairing the better as a chicken wing described makes no sense but has comedic value due to its unrelated nature.
#8 Me, an empath
55.6k videos on the sound
Sarcasm really is rampant this week on the platform and this trend is the epitome of the theme. Users are joking about situations when someone around them is feeling very sad or angry for a very obvious reason. Creators are then joking that they, “an empath”, can sense why the person is mad or angry. Any mildly intelligent person could figure why the person might feel this way, and the joke lies in the fact the creator thinks they know purely because they are an empath.
Examples:
Applicability:
Brands will want to use this to highlight situations where a brand team member is struggling with something that is a part of the job.
Bonus:
It has been well documented through this newsletter and many other sources, that many trends arise on TikTok out of the foundations of satire and parody. Users like to critique others and the world and it’s not meant to be taken as a serious threat or insult, but it’s definitely supposed to make people a little bit uncomfortable. Now the important element to this pertains to how this culture of parody has made its way from TikTok to the real world. Over the past few weeks we’ve seen Omicron spread like wildfire and many schools in the U.S. have moved to online instruction. This is something that TikTok users in college are not happy about and their response is the best thing ever. Under Instagram announcements on University pages, students have been commenting TikTok trend lines as roasts to the school. TikTok has fully amalgamated into the world outside itself and students utilizing the memes from the platform as rhetorical warfare against their school is a hilarious application of the culture.
Summary
If someone were to define those who are narcissists, TikTok users would be the first group of people described. Trends like “Outline feature”, “The photo”, or “I gotta put me first” show these attitudes of self promotion more than ever. Just like with every other social media, people on the platform still love to show off, the difference is that while on Instagram someone may use a beauty filter, on TikTok that extra clout comes from sarcasm and the critique of the world. There is so much more to explore with motivations of users but trends reflect them more than ever. Stick along for the ride and we’ll make sure to guide you through the tumultuous world that is culture on TikTok, and how to navigate it with your brand in the coming year!