Salutations
You must be wondering why a plebeian like myself is posting about such an app. After all, an application overrun by teenagers willing to ruin themselves for minute of fame and 12 year olds who manage zodiac sign accounts isn’t amongst my wavelength. Although, there is a lot to be said for the transitional format, and how it reflects centuries of conceptualization and deliberation. First things first. What is Tiktok? Traditionally, Tiktok can be perceived as a social media platform that allows viewers to create, comment and like 15 second videos. The app was an offspring of the myth that was once Musical.ly. Eventually, Musical.ly was bought by a Chinese company called Bytedance. The app was rebranded, and the mainframe was recoded. On August 1st, the young demographic of North American children went to sleep with Musical.ly, and they woke up on the morning of August 2 with Tiktok. Fun fact, this happens to be my birthday.
How is this relevant, you may ask? PLP has embarked on another endeavour. The subject of this project? How can we use current memes to comment on the significance and consequences of nationalism around the world. In order to illustrate this, we must familiarize ourselves with the algorithm and trends of Tiktok. Because, incredible as it seems, we are able to see mirrored and mimetic elements in the vitality of videos today, which connects all the way back to the age of colonialism. What is the key between these two vastly different eras? Nationalism, and the spreading of ideas.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Tiktok is just how easy and naturally it allows the fusion of ideas. For instance, in October a Tiktoker called Danielle Cohn posted a video of herself dancing. Shortly after, that video went viral. And following suite came the meme videos. The meme videos soon morphed into another style of video that made jokes at the expense of the meme videos. This is a good example of the process of virality. But does this process remind you of anything? That’s right! The process of virality is not unlike Darwin’s theory of evolution.
In the 1950s, a man named Richard Dawkins hypothesized that the life on a meme was much like that of survival of the fittest. As time progresses, a meme changes overtime because of all of the different minds that are reiterating it. Much like weak species that are no longer fit for a habitat, memes die. The ONLY was that a meme is able to survive the turbulence of social media is by adapting and changing.
In the classroom, we were challenged with creating three different Tiktoks with a group of friends. One of these was required to be a dance video, one of them a special feature and yet another a meme. This is a compilation of the five videos created by Alex, Julia, Kaia and I.
Tiktok #1, the renegade
The renegade was a dance trend that was originally popularized by teenager Charli D’Amelio. The dance is very catchy, and a great example to what lengths people will dedicate themselves in order to learn a trend.
Tiktok #2, Canada check
Canada check is a grand that allows video creators to flex their nationality as a Canadian. We were inspired by videos that were shown in class, and decided to do our own spin on it. Fun fact, as Julia and Alex made a fool out of themselves in the snow our principal was watching us. In retrospect we could have asked him to join us, but as it was we were in a prettified state. And they all lived happily ever after.
Tiktok #3, the hype house
If you do not know what this Tiktok is referencing, then boy do I have a surprise for you. The hype house is a large estate in Los Angeles that is home to perhaps 20 of Tiktok’s biggest stars. People such as Lil Huddy, Bryce Hall, Dixie D’Amelio and Addison Easterling have all convened and decided to spend their collective pay checks on an unfurnished mansion. What better way to spend your money? The main characters in this Tiktok are the females of the hype house, and how they are under siege in a reign of terror all thanks to our favourite spaghetti noodle, Lil Huddy.
Tiktok #4, the special effect
This was a twist that we put on the very popular dance. I really enjoyed this video especially because I thought that the idea itself was a level above dimply doing a dance.
Tiktok #5, the PLP class
This particular Tiktok could probably crack a laugh out of a PLP student, although others perhaps not so much. This is the accident that we made with this meme. It solely targets one audience meaning that others are not able to see it and reiterate it. It states a fact, a fact that only certain people are able to understand.
Overall, I have benefitted from spending time in the online world. I do not use social media, and I found it quite amusing to immerse myself in a space where teenagers state their thought process. They do this because of the lack of consequences. After all, millions of videos are uploaded every day meaning that you can say or do anything without reading the consequences. The question is, is your content related to by others? Will it survive the stampede that is becoming a meme? This is where survival of the fittest comes into play. One day I would like to be able to sit down and fully comprehend and sift through the frightening space that it my For You Page. Until then, I am happy sitting through the amusing outlook of my peers.
“Good morning, good afternoon, good evening and goodnight” – the Truman show
