As we near the daunting one year anniversary of the apocalypse, the first few days of school cancellations, international travel bans, empty toilet paper aisles, and way too many hours of Tiger King, I’ve decided to reflect on what I spent the majority of my time on last spring: TikTok.
I will admit, I was initially opposed to downloading it since I knew its addictive qualities (I also thought the app was only for cringy dance and POV videos). But after a couple of days, my For You Page shifted gears. Notoriously known as “Alt TikTok,” the enemy of “Straight TikTok,” I fell into hours of strange videos posted by people of all ages, races, countries, etc.; I learned quickly that TikTok knows you more than you know yourself.
Speed ahead a year later and I’ve been on all “sides” of TikTok that I honestly wish I was never on. Here’s a comprehensive list of all the types I’ve seen this past year:
· Political TikTok (shoutout to the long month of November 2020)
· Alt. Tik Tok (“emo,” grunge aesthetic)
· Prison TikTok (my personal favorite)
· DracoTok (the misunderstood Harry Potter character)
· Dog TikTok (best thing to wake up to in the morning)
· Straight TikTok (think “creator houses,” Hype House, dances)
· Life hack TikTok (who knew you could use a plastic bag to do THAT?)
· FoodieTok (things I wish I could make)
· Medical mystery TikTok (narrating emergencies and dramatic health stories)
· Renovation TikTok (transformations, domestic glow-ups)
· Conspiracy TikTok (the most intriguing)
· Celebrity TikTok (Bonafide celebs that probably should not be on this app—we love you, Will Smith!)
· Frog TikTok (gets me every time)
· Twitter TikTok (seriously, can’t people just go onto Twitter to find these)
· Relationship TikTok (videos that either make your heart swoon, heartbreak, or heartbeat)
· Beautiful people TikTok (fall in love with strangers on the internet)
· College Board TikTok (loved all the AP exam scandals last year)
· Fitness TikTok (I didn’t last too long on this one)
· Recycle TikTok (reposts of old memes and Vines)
· Niche pet tik TikTok (ferrets and raccoons galore)