TikTok is currently the most popular social media network among younger generations, especially tweens and teens, or Gen Alpha and Gen Z.
The Chinese-founded video-sharing app has attracted people from all demographics.
TikTok, like any other social network, could be a challenge to get started on.
Who do you follow, what videos do you make, and in particular how does it work? How do you navigate TikTok, and how do you know how and where to find your tribe?
“To help kick things off, we invite new users to select categories of interest, like pets or travel, to help tailor recommendations to their preferences,” said TikTok.
The app initially offers a helping hand by suggesting a few topics.
This shapes your feed and is an important step in the process of discovering like-minded people on the same wavelength. So don’t be hasty and click on the “Skip” option right away.
After following a few accounts, the “Following” page – which is one of two tabs on TikTok’s opening screen upon entry, the other being “For You” – displays the most recent posts from every account you follow on the platform.
Subcultures
Although TikTok is known for its trendy challenges, the site offers much more besides. It boasts many advantages, one being that it can be used as a business tool for brands.
There are niche interests aplenty on this platform, and you're sure to find your tribe on this social media network… guaranteed.
Various subcultures originated on TikTok, while existing ones gained popularity on the site. TikTok is an expressive world where anything goes.
Occultism is not everyone’s cup of tea, so an uninterested person would just scroll past videos posted by users of WitchTok – yes, a corner of TikTok where practitioners of witchcraft happily live their truth. The world has come a long way since the Salem Witch Trials. Progression at its very core.
There’s a subculture for almost anything you could possibly be interested in. In essence, TikTok is a video-version of Reddit… not quite as non-conforming and chaotic, perhaps, but just as free.
There’s also LesbianTok, GothTok, ChristianTok, MomTok, MusicTok, ThirstTok, and even PrisonTok. Yes, PrisonTok is a hashtag that directs users to videos shared by inmates that were recorded within the walls of correctional facilities. It doesn’t get crazier than this. The list goes on and on.
“TikTok thrives on creative self-expression, which makes it a hotbed of subcultures,” the website states under its business subdivision.
In the same blog entry, the social network states that “accessibility and low barrier to entry” is the unique attribute that distinguishes it from other platforms.
The communities on TikTok are close-knit, with some bordering on cultism, and quite a number of others viewed as borderline culty. These subcultures typically share related aesthetics and the same interests.
For environmentalists, an overwhelming number of hashtags exist that will lead you towards the accounts of fellow eco-friendly users.
Green TikTok subcultures:
PlantTok
Here people can find plant-care tips and receive an abundance of advice for growing healthy plants.
Various tricks are available for users who possess a proverbial green thumb.
A few hashtags that can be used to find videos and accounts to follow are #PlantTok and #planttiktok.
One video that can be found under this hashtag displays an alternative watering method.
This light-hearted clip presents various flowers and their relationships with water. The creator dubs each with a comical nickname or phrase based on how it reacts after being placed in a bowl of water.
Other hashtags on this video, along with #plantok, are #bottomwatering and #thirstyplants.
Clicking these hashtags will lead you towards loads of similar content.
Watch here.
One user, lopez725, commented: “Why did I never think to let the plants water themselves? No one told me!”
Another commented: “Finally, I’m on the plant side of TikTok”.
GrassTok
This subculture is similar to PlantTok. By delving into it, you can be sure to learn a few things about various species of plants.
Aesthetically pleasing videos are popular under this hashtag, with many adding the hashtag #satisfying and/or #oddlysatisfying, along with #grasstok.
Here are a few links to these types of videos:
If you want to know how to cut those pesky overgrown edges, this is the perfect video.
This clip will show you how to fix grass patches, and cutting grass has never looked this satisfying.
A common tag for grass-related content is #lawncare, so do take a look at the captions accompanying these videos to find more specific ones.
PetTok
Here you can find videos of the cute and adorable pets of TikTok’s creators. And they are not average pets – the ones that are usually domesticated. You can be sure to find creators with pet tigers, such as South African couple from Boksburg Matthew and Anneline. Their content can be located by following this link.
A hilariously cute video depicts a chihuahua frozen in position as its human companion waves his or her phone around the dog’s face. The dog doesn’t flinch even once.
A top comment on this video was posted by user nicetoasterwig
“She knows Victoria’s secret,” the comment read, garnering over 31 000 likes.
Many users had similar takes.
“She knows something we don’t,” lilquakers commented.
“She knows the meaning of life,” widge0 posted.
Another user’s comment amassed over 117 000 likes. The comment, posted by supersuit45, states: “He [sic] still connecting to the internet. Give him some time.”
You laugh, you learn, you discover… These subcultures are beneficial to interested folks on many levels.
Discover EcoTok
EcoTok is a team of young environmental activists on TikTok "with a passion to save the environment".
They aim to inform others about issues pertaining to the environment, especially climate action. They strive to get other youngsters to adopt a greener lifestyle.
Co-founder Philip Aiken urges others to get involved. Follow him on TikTok to engage with him and find other creators of EcoTok.
Green Hashtags
General hashtags for environmentalists to explore are:
#theenvironmentalists
#thenewhumanity"
#climatechange
#ecotok
#saveouroceans
#sustainable
#environmentalist
#vegan
#globalwarming
#deforestation
#forclimate
#biodiversity
#nativebiodiversity
Go to the “Discover” page and find like-minded people – your community, your tribe.
IOL