by By: Danielle Ng
With the continual growth and popularity of the video social media app, TikTok, users and people alike have begun viewing popular “TikTokers” differently: as celebrities.
Something that makes TikTok stand out from all other social media platforms is how fast trends come and go. One day, there could be a trending video of Noah Beck doing a dance to the song “WAP” and the next day, the trend is The Backyardigans song “Castaways.” This process of knowing the trends makes for a more aware tiktoker because in order to stay relevant, they have to constantly be creating content that is trendy, or they have to make the next trend. This new breed of celebrities are intelligent, creative, problem solving and can even have a business plan in mind of what kind of brand they have created for themselves.
Tiktokers like Charli D’Amelio, Bryce Hall and Addison Rae are becoming the next breed of celebrities. Most of these influencers got their start from TikTok and without would have a completely different lifestyle than they do now. This goes the same way for content houses. Groups like Hype House, Sway LA and the Triller Compound have even gained enough following and recognition to have their own forms of reality TV on various platforms. Even now, there is continuous “beef” among this community that has led to the “Youtubers vs. TikTokers” boxing fight that is supposed to take place in June with headliners Bryce Hall and Austin McBroom.
This new idea of a celebrity is completely different than what everyone is used to. They get paparazzied on the daily while they are doing normal, mundane things. The popular YouTube channel, The Hollywood Fix, feeds the demand for superfans. Fletcher Greene is the man behind the camera and uses deception, truth telling, repetition and even invasion of privacy to get information out of them. Greene has been following most TikTokers since their initial claim to fame, and still continues to follow them around until he gets what he and his 1.88 million subscribers want- an in on these celebrities’ lives.
There is so much attention and focus on these celebrities now, and the world we live in now is so fast-paced that they have to be constantly thinking of the next thing to do. Most tiktokers are starting to branch out beyond the platform and making a whole brand out of themselves. Here are some examples of people doing just that: Charli partnered with Dunkin’ for “The Charli” drink; Bryce Hall and Josh Richards have an energy drink company, Ani Energy; and Addison Rae will be in an upcoming movie remake of She’s All That.
It’s impressive to see how this young generation of influencers are able to work and create content and reimagine what it means to be a celebrity now a days.
Hi Danielle,
I think your post was super interesting. It is crazy how fast these TikTokers took off and have become so famous. All the celebrity news basically revolves around the TikTok drama and they are becoming A list celebrities. Dixie D’Amelio is now works with Hailey Biebers stylist and Addison Rae now hangs out with the Kardashians on a regular basis. It is interesting to see last year I did not really know who any of these people were and now they are some of the most talked about people.
TikTok is an interesting platform where anyone is able to attain “fame” or go viral based on the current trend. I also believe that these individuals do not necessarily have to have talent but something such as physical attributes that meet the ideal beauty standards. I am interested to see how far the fame takes these content creators on TikTok in a few years from now.
Thank you for this post!
I guess you can say these Tik Tokers are the newest celebs, yet I think they lack the star power to make them A-list celebrities.I think their recognition from Tik Tok will carry them for a while but 10 years from now they might not be as famous.
Hi, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! I think it is so crazy how one app can make celebrities. I wonder if Tik Tok ever gets taken down, will these celebrities still have as much fame as they do now? I loved reading your article.
It is crazy to think that TikTok influencers have gained so much fame within almost a year. TikTok is a unique app. As you said, the trends are always changing. It’s honestly really impressive to see people consistently producing content that is up to date with the most recent trend.
Great blog post Danielle! In the last couple years I’ve seen so many memes about how more and more children want to be famous youtubers when they grow up (compared to other professions) and what’s interesting, as you talk about in your article, is seeing how that dream is evolving with rising popularity of Tik Tok. Not only does stardom seem more accessible, it almost seems like these celebrities are able to rise quicker than before. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how this changes in the next 10 years!
This is a new rise in celebrities which is interesting. We now live in a world that someone can become a celebrity or famous overnight. It will be interesting to see how they move away from TikTok or if they want to.
This new breed of celebrities is definitely an interesting topic to keep an eye on. I wonder how much of their fame was contributed by the increased use of the platform fueled by the pandemic? Could have it been different if no one was paying attention to the platform? Things to think about.
I think the idea of TikTokers becoming famous is an interesting topic to discuss. It’s unbelievable how fast trends come and go on the platform and how quickly someone can become viral. It’s also crazy to think that creators from the Vine app didn’t reach as much stardom as TikTokers are now. I think the focus toward brands using social media influencers to promote their products has also contributed to the rise of these new celebrities.
Since Tiktok became a famous platform, I remember hearing about these “TikTokers” and not understanding why they are famous. Even now, I believe that many of them don’t deserve to be famous for the content they produce, but after reading your post, I see how they are constantly having to keep up with trends in order to stay relevant, which is hard work. However, for these young adults, I think it is very toxic to be in the spotlight so young, as many people view them as “role models” so when they make a mistake, they are harassed and ridiculed. I do feel bad for them at times, because they went viral for basically no reason, and now they have to deal with the social pressures of being famous.
It’s crazy to think that an app made by someone can suddenly change your life based on your looks, possessions, and abilities. It seems like TikTok people are the new wave of celebrities in the time of our current society. With the way society has moved during the pandemic, it will be interesting to see how TikTok breeds “influencers” in the near future.