Not All Tik Tok Trends are Trendy
Tik Tok has now become worthy of being the go to social media app for many citizens around the globe. It was first launched in 2016 by Douye for Chinese use, but it wasn’t until it was launched in 2017 by Byte Dance that it really gained popularity worldwide. With over 800 million users, it was not the least bit surprising that a multitude of trends began to spring up and eventually become viral. However, not all Tik Tok trends are trendy worldwide. The first to come to mind are the Tik Tok Indian soap operas that I have only come to know through a very deep Youtube search. This trend does not actually have an official name, but I chose to nickname them “soap operas” because of their dramatic and romantic content, much like a shortened version of a soap opera that one would see through their television. They may even be as cheesy as you remember. Although Indian soap operas have become very popular in India, they have not been able to gain the interest of American Tik Tokers because of their unrelatable and unrealistic content.
Although India accounts for ¼ of Tik Tok’s users, it seems as though the popularity of their soap operas have only remained within that ¼. These soap operas are completely scripted and can last anywhere between 15–60 seconds. If you take a look at the Youtube link I’ve provided above and skip to the 49th second, you will find a Tik Tok about a jealous girlfriend who takes a look at her boyfriend’s phone and throws it into the ocean. Does this seem like something likely to occur in real life? Probably not. BBC notes that Americans made the switch from watching soap operas to watching reality TV in 1995 when the OJ Simpsom trial was being aired live. This fact is important to consider because it reveals a truth about American likes and interests when it comes to choosing their entertainment options. They tend to enjoy watching realistic content because it provides an option for what their life could be like, especially because the American dream is all about the individual having the freedom to build the life that they desire. It’s very hard to do that with the Indian soap operas because they are so far-fetched that it’s not as easy to imagine yourself in the scenarios that they have scripted out. Some may wonder if comparing American’s TV habits can be translated to their content preferences on Tik Tok. Apparently, they can.
As a matter of fact, American users prefer to keep up with the real life drama happening between Tik Tok influencers rather than watching the highly unlikely occurrences of the soap operas on the app. Although most of us cannot relate to the million dollar lifestyles that these influencers are living, their complicated love lives are certainly something most people can connect with. For example, when fans first started noticing Tik Tok stars, Charli D’Amelio and Chase Hudson, becoming closer than what you would expect from two friends, their fans were quick to point out the sprouting romance. They later publicly announced that although they were exclusively together, they were not officially boyfriend and girlfriend. This awkward limbo of “together but not totally together (yet)” is something that is commonly experienced for Americans, therefore, their love life can be deemed as realistic, relatable, and entertaining to keep up with. This is in contrast to the highly unlikely Indian soap operas that content creators are in control of and have completely manufactured. If you click on the link that is provided above and skip to 3 minutes and 32 seconds, you will see a Tik Tok video of a couple arguing on the streets. As they were arguing a female stranger was walking by and noticed their tension. She then snatches up the girl’s boyfriend and continues to go on her way as she drags him along with her, saving him from the lecture he was receiving. Sure, it would be nice to be able to steal yourself a boyfriend or girlfriend from the streets as easily as she did, but that is not in the least bit realistic nor relatable. Furthermore, most people would deem this much more cringy than it is funny or romantic. Therefore, since people do not see it is an “option” for what could be their life (because it is neither realistic nor relatable), nor have the desire to fantasize about it, the soap operas lose their appeal towards several Americans.
Along with people not seeing these scenarios as “options” for their lives, they may even be fighting against the basis on which these videos were formed. As you have seen in the examples I have mentioned above, the scripts of these videos are largely reliant on historically assigned gender roles, which several American youths are now challenging. In these examples, there existed the stereotypical jealous and notoriously nagging girlfriends. The former was seen throwing her boyfriend’s phone into the ocean and the ladder had her boyfriend snatched away in the midst of an argument. These videos are shining a negative light on a female partner’s “role” of being the jealous, overly caring, and constantly nagging girlfriend. However, groups in the US today, such as many feminists, are fighting against women’s perceived place as the hopelessly in love dansel. The push to change these gender roles, particularly in a romantic setting, further discourages the growth of the Indian soap opera trend in America. That being said, even if these soap operas were to be relatable for whatever weird reason, many groups are fighting to change the reality or perceived reality of these stereotypes. Since people are actively trying to make these videos unrealistic, it only makes sense that they keep them from becoming trends.
To be fair, not every soap opera plays into these gender roles, but they almost always do consist of a romantic enactment. Unfortunately, that does not help gain popularity in the United States either. Many romantic creations are targeted towards a women audience. However, the romantic appeal may also be diminishing amongst those in this group of people. Along with the push to change a women’s perceived role in a relationship, there is also an effort to encourage them to prioritize other things, like their independence and careers, before their love lives. This does not mean that these types of relationships are starting to disappear, rather their priority in a woman’s life are no longer as high as they used to be. That being said, seeing videos of an independent, financially stable, and overall thriving woman is starting to gain a much bigger appeal than that of those portrayed in the soap operas. With every ounce of effort that is dedicated towards changing these gender roles, the realisticness and relatability of the Indian soap opera Tik Tok trend becomes less and less.
Ultimately, the Indian soap opera trend that is very well known amongst those in the middle east has not yet reached the “For You” pages of the American audience because of their unrealistic and unrelatable nature. The type of content is quite the opposite of what US citizens tend to lean towards and is actually what they are trying to change about the society we are living in. Though these soap operas may be the center of many conversation occurring for India’s Tik Tokers, they are hardly known to exist for many American users. Through this I want to pose a question. How drawn in are you to things that seem unrealistic to the life you are living? Are you able to connect to trends in other cultures that are not relatable to your own? If your answer is yes, in what ways are you connected and to what extent?
Works Cited:
Fannin, Rebecca. “The Strategy Behind TikTok’s Global Rise.” Harvard Business Review, 13 Sept. 2019, hbr.org/2019/09/the-strategy-behind-tiktoks-global-rise.
Mohsin, Maryam. “10 TikTok Statistics That You Need to Know [July 2020].” Oberlo, Oberlo, 15 Sept. 2020, www.oberlo.com/blog/tiktok-statistics.
PeoplePill. “About Imran Khan: Pakistani Singer (1984-): Biography, Facts, Career, Wiki, Life.” PeoplePill, peoplepill.com/people/imran-khan-17/.
Shaath, Sarah. “Decline of Soap Operas: Was OJ Simpson to Blame?” BBC News, BBC, 27 Mar. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47585335.
