Alt TikTok

Alt TikTok, also known as Elite TikTok, Deep TikTok, and partially known as Cursed TikTok, refers to when users on the platform would, starting around April 2020, differentiate between the mainstream TikTok and a unique/differing side of the platform. Alt TikTok was seen as having more queer and alternative users (hence the name 'Alt TikTok), while 'Straight TikTok' was seen as being the mainstream. The 'Alt TikTok' trend is notable for it's surrealist, over-filtered and 'cursed' memes, along with the 'Indie Kid' aesthetic accompanying it. It has often been described as including 'Gen Z humor'.^[1] Due to the extent of Alt TikTok's popularity, some might consider it (at least) partially mainstream.

History[]

Surrealist/Supernatural memes[]

On March 2, 2020, a remix of 'The Hanging Tree' and 'Say So' was posted by user @whykaden.^[2] In April of that year, the remix gained popularity as an (now unavailable) account would use the remix while over-filtering their face to an uncanny point, along with showing a tree and lip-syncing the lyrics; 'Are you coming to the tree?'.^[3] This presumably marked the beginning of Alt TikTok's surrealist/'cursed' memes, where users would use a large amount of filters and saturation, along with using audios that match the creepy/'cursed' atmosphere. Humanoid/anthropomorphic animals were also a common theme among the videos.

Other memes/trends[]

Note: Some of these memes/trends might not be completely related to Alt TikTok, but will still have some overlap

Debby Ryan Smirk was a trend where users would imitate and mock the smirk from actor Debby Ryan, from the movie 'Radio Rebel'.^[4]^[5]
Mi Pan Su Su Sum is a video of an animated llama, dancing to the cover of a Russian commercial for the brand 'Miel Pops'.^[6] The video gained over 18 million likes.^[7]
Barbz4Bernie was a hashtag where users that considered themselves 'Barbs' would support Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic primaries.^[8]
Fairy comments were comments that seemed sweet at first, but would, at the end of the comment, turn out to be rude and negative, complemented by fairy emojis and other emojis to make the comment seem sweet at first glance.^[9] An example includes: 'confidence is key 💞🥰🌈🧚🏽‍♀️throw that key away 🌸💋😍✨' (by @kokc_sucker)^[10]
Fairy kids were users on the platform who would get mocked by other users for pretending to be fairies. This trend spawned a number of popular audios, such as one where a user sings 'Excuse me, my name is fairy, not human or animal or fake ^[11]
Retail TikTok was a trend where users would personify products and brand, making comedic animations.^[12]
FreeAdam2020 was a hashtag were users jokingly wanted to save Adam, a member of the all-sibling band SM6, from the rest of his siblings.^[13]
Subway Surfers became a popular way of spreading using audios, with users posting a clip of them playing the game, while overlaying a popular audio.
Gabbie Hanna, the American YouTuber, was also frequently mocked, including a video of her ranting about her haters/critics.^[14]
👁👄👁 was a combination of emojis that became popular under the trend.
Remixes of Cybersex by Doja Cat also became popular, with a notable example including 'Who in the hell put the muffins in the freezer'.^[15]
Emoji Copypastas of popular memes became popular, where users would write down popular memes and put an emoji between each word, with an example including 'Martha😁was🥰an🙃average🐕dog. She went💨aërf🍒&🤕ærph😪&👻EEEER👺'.
August 27: Starting in July 2020, users thought that something significant was going to happen on the date of August 27th, 2020. Videos from the trend usually included a specific song from the 'Don't Hug Me I'm Scared' soundtrack, with the sound being deemed as 'rare'. The sound was also notable for falsely displaying itself as being 0 seconds long.^[16]^[17]^[18]

Indie Kid[]

The colorful 'Indie Kid' aesthetic became popular during the trend, with some users using the aesthetic to style their clothes and their room.^[19] The 'color customizer' filter was also one of the most notable traits of the aesthetic, with users using the filter to make their videos more saturated and colorful.

Music[]

During the Alt TikTok trend, hyperpop music became increasingly popular, with artists such as '100 gecs' also becoming popular.^[20]

Sound Gallery[]

		This section is under construction. This section is unfinished, you can help by expanding it.

The following table is a list of popular sounds commonly associated with 'Alt TikTok':
Date posted	Posted by	Videos	Notes
March 2, 2020	@whykaden	17.5K (As of April, 2022)
Mid-2020 (Presumably*)	@whovarea	23.3K (As of April, 2022)	*Original video is unavailable
Early/Mid-2020 (Presumably*)	@reverse_seal69	79.6K (As of April, 2022)	*Original video is unavailable
None*	Mabes	5874 (As of April, 2022)	*The audio does not have a date it was posted on, as it was released as a song and not alongside a video
Unknown*	@karmthetool	44.3K (As of April, 2022)	*Original video is unavailable

Video Gallery[]

Indie-alt tiktok compilation

6 minutes of my fyp~deep tik tok

References[]

[1] ttps://www.distractify.com/p/what-is-alt-tiktok

[2] ttps://www.tiktok.com/@whykaden/video/6799460368621030661

[3] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E823N82V5lM

[4] ttps://www.tiktok.com/@xaviermartinnn_/video/6856949159614827781

[5] ttps://www.tiktok.com/@camilaemartinezz/video/6823451363675065605

[6] ttps://www.insider.com/mi-pan-su-su-sum-tiktok-sound-llama-russian-cereal-2020-8

[7] ttps://www.tiktok.com/@_awa_de_horchata/video/6849216781303827717

[8] ttps://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/barbz-4-bernie-nicki-minaj-stans-sanders

[9] ttps://www.distractify.com/p/fairy-comments-tiktok

[10] ttps://www.tiktok.com/@urfavimmigriant/video/7078029772256824582

[11] ttps://www.tiktok.com/@trafficcone.com/video/6826797572351364358

[12] ttps://stayhipp.com/media/tiktok/what-is-retail-tiktok/

[13] ttps://www.distractify.com/p/free-adam-tiktok

[14] ttps://www.tiktok.com/music/high-school-boolies-6843468616575306501

[15] ttps://www.tiktok.com/music/who-in-the-h3ll-put-the-muffins-in-the-freeza-6832168099819670277

[16] Palmer Haasch, August 27, 2020, 'TikTokers have been mysteriously counting down to August 27 for months, posting cryptic messages about the date' - Insider

[17] Dalton Cooper, July 12, 2020, 'TikTok August 27 Trend Explained' - GameRant

[18] Michelle Santiago Cortés, August 27, 2020, 'The Creator Of #August27 Wants You To Know It’s Not That Serious' - Refinery29

[19] ttps://www.tiktok.com/@ltmnns1/video/6858213672511130885

[20] ttps://www.ringtonemag.com/2020/10/alt-kids-and-algorithms-how-hyperpop.html

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