“TikTokification”: The Intersection of Social Media and Consumerism
Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash
By: Leah Oake
Content Warning: This article will discuss erotica and sexual themes
TikTok has grown to be one of the most popular apps in the world, garnering millions of downloads every month and producing an incredible amount of content. Due to TikTok’s immense popularity, it is to be expected that concepts will begin to trend because of their presence on the app. For example, Labubu, a new popular collectible toy, has begun to skyrocket because of the thousands of videos of them circulating on TikTok. Labubus were created back in 2015 after appearing in “The Monsters” storybook series by Kasing Ling. After their initial appearance, Ling partnered with Pop Mart to create collectible figurines, and in 2023 the now-famous keychains were created. Labubus did not become famous overnight, but once they started appearing on TikTok, their popularity soared. The brand has now been estimated to have made 423$ million in revenue with a 729% increase since its initial start in 2023. It is easy to say that Labubus got their new celebrity status because of TikTok’s influence. Now, the audience is tying both companies together because of TikTok’s notoriety. This is because of the TikTokification of brands.
The term TikTokification comes from the idea that something has gained fame because of its social media relevance. A lot of the time, negative connotations come with this. These negative attributes can cause a subject’s value to decrease, trapping it within the confines of TikTok.
If a musician’s song becomes popular on the app, then it is labelled as a “TikTok song” rather than just a song. Some artists are happy with having their songs gain fame because of the app, but other artists feel as though TikTok devalues their work and effort. Recently, Steve Lacy, an R&B artist, became irritated at one of his concerts because his fans only knew a particular section of his song that was a popular sound clip on TikTok. Some fans don’t actually listen to the artist's music outside of the clips they are exposed to on TikTok. Therefore, the term TikTokification labels something as trendy and/or popular but also confines it to TikTok itself, making it difficult for the trend to break out into the mainstream media.
One of the more popular TikTokifications I’ve seen is the concept of BookTok. BookTok is a subsection of the social media platform that is centred around books. The main genres that gain popularity through BookTok are romance books and, in particular, erotica. I went on TikTok and searched the hashtag “BookTok,” and a common trend I saw focused on the authors Ana Huang, Sarah J. Mass, and Hannah Grace. Ana Huang’s Twisted series has gained immense popularity due to its brooding male leads and their sexual dominance. Sarah J Mass’s A Court of Roses and Thorns (often referred to as ACOTAR) series has also gained popularity because of the dark, lustful romantic relationships portrayed in a fantastical world. While both of those series became relevant on the social media platform, they were not shielded from critique. Hannah Grace’s “Icebreaker” was a massive subject of battery. Her hockey erotica romance book became a staple representation of what people viewed BookTok to be. These authors (and many more) have been seen as less worthy of praise because of the sexual content of their books. People have assumed that BookTok is solely focused on erotic literature, even though that is far from the case. Erotic literature has been around forever, but people kept those reading choices secret. Now, people are promoting these books and raving about how they love them. This is not a bad thing. If anything, it brings up good conversations around female sexuality and comfort around it. Despite that, people still use the trending portions of BookTok as a means to devalue the entirety of book content and reading. For example, in many bookstores, there are now tables designed for books popular on BookTok. This separates these books from others because of the label of TikTok.
TikTok has its benefits, no doubt. It allows people to create their own careers by producing content that they love and are proud of. However, TikTok still has its problems, like any social media platform. Cyberbullying still exists, and it also perpetuates overconsumption of goods. The majority of every “side” on TikTok is centred around a product or commodity (BookTok, CleanTok, CookingTok, GymTok). While these sections of TikTok can create a community, they can also promote consumerism in ways that are detrimental to our planet. CleanTok, for example, consists of people restocking their fridge, bathroom, etc., with an amount labelled in the text (ie, 1000$ fridge restock). Videos like this allow people to look at a lifestyle they want and become swayed to purchase these goods to “fit in” with the lifestyle they want to be a part of. This presumption leads to an incredible amount of waste and an increase in pollution due to shipping and carbon emissions from production.
Before TikTok was TikTok, it was Musical.ly. Musical.ly was centered around lip-syncing videos and dance challenges. As the app has grown and developed, those types of videos are now just minor portions in the vast collection of content readily available. Musical.ly was not based on consumption; TikTok now is. While the app may be free, its additional perks do cost money. If someone's favourite creator is conducting a live stream, they have the option to give them an online gift, which can range from 0.01$ USD (the Rose), the smallest gift, to 562.48$ USD (the TikTok Universe), the largest gift. It is marketed as TikTok coins, but in reality, it is actual money. Aside from gift giving, there is also the TikTok shop. On there, TikTok sells items found on TikTok and other items that they market to their viewers (using algorithms). TikTok doomscrolling sucks people into endless hours of streaming content, which will lead to them finding their preferred corners on the platform. Those corners will inevitably consist of items that they will want to purchase.
The TikTokification of everything is simultaneously beneficial and detrimental. While it may make an artist popular because of their trending sound clip, they also risk not being taken seriously because of their TikTok fame. The TikTokification of goods and services leaves its users coerced into consuming promoted items, thus continuing the cycle of popularity equalling consumption. The TikTokification of brands, concepts, and items brings a new meaning to the idea of trending, but it is up to users to define what it means for them.