It is day well, I don’t know, in quarantine and the quest for clout has not ceased although everything else in my life has. However, with all of this isolation I have felt particularly inspired to produce more content on Tik Tok than ever before, using different styles of editing, filters, and features to ease my boredom. Because of this, I have continued to gain followers and record amounts of views and likes on my Tik Toks!
pew pew pew!
Since I left you last, I vowed to produce some “quarantine content” featuring family members and my friends that I am sadly isolated from. So it was only fair to hop on the “pew pew pew” Tik Tok trend, and using my mother as the starring character, we made a little bit of quarantine magic. With 456 views and 19 likes, while not my most famous, there were multiple sightings on the for you page. I used a new feature called “big head” which is increasingly popular right now on the platform, undoubtedly a reason for its views. While the filter that enlarges your head is inherently funny, I think the unplanned nature of this video aka my mother pushing me out of the frame, is the reason for its subtle success!
“and it went like”
Next, totaling my most viewed and most liked creation yet, I may have gotten as close to stardom I have ever been. I wanted to make a creative take on the viral Tik Tok trend of aesthetic and seemingly perfect “and it went like” videos girls have been posting of their relationships and boyfriends. These videos traditionally feature compilations of cutesy videos of girls and their boyfriends almost always followed by hundreds of comments such as “so cute!” and “ugh goals!”. So, after I found a remix of that quintessential tune I just HAD to make a remix of the classic with my boyfriend but showing him in not so cute moments.
Using the “chaotic life” audio I put together a fun little remix of this popular trend featuring funny videos I had of my boyfriend being goofy, and well, it was seemingly a hit. With 1256 views, 33 likes, and 8 comments from friends saying they found it on their popular page, I was nearing Tik Tok fame. For this Tik Tok I had to use new features of the app to put text on my videos, combine videos and still photos, as well as edit the audio to fit the timing of my video content, which took considerable amounts of time, but it paid off.
The formula for Tik Tok success seems to be rarely based on the amount of followers you have, but the actual video content you produce and whether or not the mass audience finds it worthy of a like, which makes it almost harder to go viral. Just like other social networking platforms, Boyd outlines that we use spaces like Tik Tok to not only maintain connections with existing friends, but what I have found most valuable is that I have connected with distant friends like never before over my comedic creations, and have been able to participate in a new community of comedy I previously haven’t on other platforms. Especially in these isolated and lonely times, it is comforting to be able to combine the offline and online into singular platforms for some peace of mind and a good laugh.
meet the girls!
Finally, my most recent Tik Tok that frankly did not get as much hype as it should have being it took me hours to create, involved new editing skills and effects I had not used before. For this video I had to use the green screen effect in order to combine a video of myself before placing still photos of my friends with captions following the video of myself, a skill I learned along the way. Additionally, I had to place each caption for each photo for the exact amount of time the picture appeared on the screen.
I decided to make this Tik Tok after my best friends and I saw this viral video of a friend-group going through each girl and talking about their unique characteristics that they bring to the group, a fun take that has been very popular on the platform. So, I decided to do the same with my friend group, but make it more of a roast on my friends because well, I guess I’m a little evil. Using the same audio as the viral inspiration, “celebrate the good times”, I made our very own “meet the girls” Tik Tok. Although only racking up 469 views and paling in comparison to my previous video, I am proud of my newfound editing skills, and my creative take on Tik Tok classics.
Might I say I am very satisfied with my Tik Tok achievements thus far, as I think I have constantly raised the bar for myself and my level of creativity within the app. I have accomplished last week’s goal of creating content more often during this quarantine and using new features and effects the app offers to reach stardom. I look forward to creating more viral content and trying to make light of this current crisis through comedic mini-videos. Wish me luck, and until next time… happy Tik Tokking! ps. wash your hands and follow me @kai.henderson ❤
Sincerely,
Kai
kai's world! 