Now that it’s the end of the school year for me — thank goodness — I seem to have a lot more free time on my hands, which means I have been slowly increasing my screen time on TikTok. If you have also been doing some excessive scrolling lately, you have probably seen the latest of TikTok’s big trends, the “holy airball” trend, going around. But what is the “holy airball” trend, exactly, what does it mean, and how can you participate without looking silly? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.
ICYMI, these videos always have the same song in the background, 2005’s “Soul Survivor” by Jeezy, and are often about misconceptions about people’s personalities, habits, and other kinds of personal attributes. Basically, people are starting with a still clip of them saying something about themselves, and the assumption the other person makes about that statement. The “holy airball” comes in at the end, when the creator clarifies what they *actually* mean by their original statement. An airball is a basketball term for attempting a basket and missing it completely, so the TikToks are essentially about making an assumption about someone and completely missing the mark.Â
These videos are often lighthearted and funny, showing off things ranging from people’s weird quirks to their impressive accomplishments. One of my favorites is of a TikToker saying. “Told them I had school spirit,” and then the second text says, “So you were a cheerleader?” and the final clip says “#holyairball” with her dressed as a mascot. Another shows a creator saying she sleeps in late, with the response being “yeah i can sleep till 11” and the #holyairball shows Snapchat memories of her sleeping past 3 in the afternoon.Â
Overall, this trend is a really fun way to express yourself online and beat the incorrect assumptions that others may often make about you. So, if you have an idiosyncrasy or cool hobby that people often don’t assume about you, or you feel underestimated, now you can make your own video about it — and call it a slam dunk.