🎵 Top Sounds 🎵
Our curated picks of the top sounds on TikTok
This sound is for anyone in a little bit of a funk. Remember, don’t worry it’s temporary.
It Girl 💁🏾♀️
The opposite of a break from slaying, this is a sound for maximum slay.
Find Out 😳
African creators popularized this sound to make fun of the times your assumptions are proven wrong.
This song from Egyptian artist Sherine has been trending, particularly as a way to express joy or a desire to go home (cat in the suitcase obviously).
I am so pro food photos. I love to take a picture of a meal to remember it. Evidently, everyone using this sound feels the same way.
🔉 Our Sound Highlight 🔉
Not Arby’s
Mood: 🤢
Exactly how low are you going to stoop? This sound is great for exposing what your last resort choices might be.
👹 Effects Highlight 👹
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The screaming cat CapCut template needs little explanation because I believe we’ve all been there.
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This CapCut template is best used for nasty surprises.
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Not a CapCut template, but a great meme for exposing your music taste.
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This effect was evidently made with millennials in mind. Use it to show what topic makes you feel old.
🗣️ The Moment 🗣️
Issues that are at the forefront of online discourse— misinformation
Misinformation online has become a major issue.
Over the last two weeks, a number of unverified or false claims have surfaced on X (neé Twitter) that have been proven false. The claim that babies had been beheaded by Hamas, for example, made its way into a BBC broadcast (the BBC also apologized for calling pro-Palestiniqan protests ‘pro-Hamas’). The unverified claim was also repeated by our current president. The harm that misinformation can do should not be underestimated. Especially when that misinformation is repeated by news sources and elected officials. According to a new report, X’s content moderation cutbacks, restructured ‘for you’ homepage and paid verification are all factors in the spread of disinformation. Elon’s takeover has undoubtedly made this moment possible.
X isn’t the only place where misinformation is spreading though. TikTok and Meta were officially asked by the EU to address misinformation on their platforms. Celebrities received backlash online for spreading misinformation on Instagram. Jamie Lee Curtis, for example, posted an image of Palestinian children fearing a potential airstrike claiming they were Israeli, while Justin Bieber shared an image of leveled buildings in Gaza with the implication that the image was of Israel. When accounts with significant followers succumb to bias, and don’t check through what they share, it makes misinformation far more visible and gives the source legitimacy to fans.
In yet another recent notable case of misinformation, Shaun King, king of the grift, resurfaced on Instagram ready to ‘pay the price’ of addressing the crisis in Gaza. Shaun King claimed to have connections with the family of two American hostages and claimed to be an integral part of the release. Later, the family released a statement saying they do not know Shaun King and that he lied about being part of the release. In response, King posted ‘receipts’ of his involvement, which appeared to stray from his original claims.
AI has also been used to sow disinformation in recent weeks. One Instagram account shared an AI-generated image of a protest, without labeling or captioning to indicate that it was AI-generated. Though this post is only one example, the potential for AI-generated images to mislead audiences is a significant concern.
Misinformation is an issue that social media companies need to solve. But, it goes without saying, that fact-checking should be impartial– something tech companies have not exactly proven to be.
Beyond pressuring social media companies to take accountability for the misinformation spreading on their platforms, our relationship with information on social media must change. It is especially key that those with large audiences examine what and why they’re posting before they do so.
☕ The Zeitgeist ☕
Hot topics from across the internet
A TikToker from Japan has been poking fun at American TikTok making GRWM’s, signature content styles, and viral trends look surreal.
Influencer voice is so real but the question is, why do so many influencers speak this way?
Influencer and Djerf Avenue founder, Matilda Djerf, is in hot water with fans on TikTok after she reported a number of videos from micro-creators wearing Amazon dupes of Djerf Avenue designs.
This minor scandal has brought about conversations on the ethics of “dupes", a critical look at Djerf Avenue’s production practices, and conversations about micro vs. macro creators.
Content theft on TikTok is a real issue just look at this video.
Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon was released last Friday. A solid twelve months after being at Cannes, where it premiered, I finally saw the film. Highly recommend.
For further reading on the Reign Of Terror: there’s this article digging into The “Pioneer Woman” Ree Drummond’s connection to the crimes, a novel based on the period from Osage author Charles H. RedCorn, and an article on how the pain of the Reign of Terror is still being felt today.
Some influencers say they have been offered money to post in support of Israel. The campaign comes from a group called Hostages and Missing Families Forum and is not the only social media campaign to be launched since October 7th.
Birth tourism is trending exposing a level of privilege that is honestly enraging.
Prayag, TikTok’s new fave ‘pookie’, is back after a brief account suspension.
🥡 The Takeaway 🥡
Who gets to become an influencer?
Influencing has a lot of appeal. Influencers, especially in the lifestyle and luxury space, not only show off appealing lifestyles they get paid to do so. The idea of getting to work from a luxury apartment, and getting five-figure brand deals for sixty-second videos sounds like a pretty good deal. But who exactly gets those deals and what does it take to get there?
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The answer, miserably, is privileged people tend to have an easier time demanding more lucrative deals. It’s pretty hard to sell a luxury lifestyle in this economy without pre-established wealth. Alix Earle, for instance, has a father who reportedly earns over $20 million a year. The idea of who can sell, and who can represent a brand is pre-loaded with every regressive assumption you can imagine.
But that’s still something that only applies to a select few. Many influencers, as the industry becomes more saturated, have to compete for ‘gifts’ and PR. The income these influencers receive from brands may be far below what many expect.
It is my hope, that we can break away from old patterns in this industry. We all know that micro-influencers can perform. We know diversity isn’t a negative. And we know that being a creator is a real job and that labor should be fairly compensated. As the culture around influencers and celebrities shifts, I hope (and optimistically expect) to see a transformation in who gets to be an influencer.