The angry founder of Libs of TikTok — the book-banning, anti-LGBTQ, Covid-denying, Big Lie, conspiratorial social media group — spoke to students at Indiana University about the horrors of "wokeness." But when asked to define what "wokeness" means, uhhh, Chaya Raichik was at a loss for words. — Read the rest
In a cringeworthy interview with CNBC, Donald Trump stumbled through a bizarre explanation of his shifting stance on banning TikTok, a complete 180 from his hardline position as President. Throughout the interview, Trump struggled to provide a clear, logical explanation for his abrupt reversal on banning TikTok. — Read the rest
Of the piles of vile and/or idiotic word garbage that have spewed out of DJ Trump since 2015, I have probably only agreed with him once or twice. We are certainly in sync when he says that Ron DeSantis has "no personality. — Read the rest
Washington Post journalist Taylor Lorenz recently posted this interview she conducted with Chaya Raichik, founder of the highly controversial — and notoriously transphobic and anti-LGBTQ — account Libs of TikTok. Lorenz describes the interview on her YouTube page:
— Read the restChaya Raichik, founder of Libs of TikTok spoke with me about the great replacement theory, the death of a 16-year-old non binary child in Oklahoma, why she won't delete her false accusations about the Uvalde shooter, her views on gender, feminism and more.
If you're under 30 (or happen to live with someone under 30), TikTok seems inescapable, with the For You Page holding the American psyche in an iron grip despite efforts to outright ban the app. Somewhat interestingly, however, TikTok is actually an international offshoot of an otherwise identical Chinese app called Douyin (onomatopoeia for shaking), with the only functional difference being that they're walled off from each other. — Read the rest
Grant St. Clair recently shared news about the trend of "looksmaxxing," an umbrella term for a variety of "purportedly appearance-enhancing strategies" that became wildly popular first on incel message boards and then on TikTok. One of the most popular looksmaxxing techniques is called "mewing" and involves closing your mouth, and placing your tongue on the roof of your mouth, which supposedly exercises the muscles under the jaw and tightens the skin under your chin. — Read the rest
Not since the toothpick crossbow fad of 2017 has the seemingly mundane tooth-cleaning tool been such a cause for concern. But South Korea's health officials just sent out a public warning: "This is not a product to eat!"
The alert, which was posted on X yesterday (see bottom video below, reposted by NBC News), comes as trending TikTok and Instagram "cooking" videos show people coloring, seasoning, and deep-frying toothpicks as if they were noodles and then chomping them down (see first video below, posted by Hiharu_22). — Read the rest
When your pet reaches fame on TikTok, companies will take notice, sending you money in exchange for sponsorships. But what happens when a company, like, say, Walgreens, mixes up the human with the four-legged star?
That's what happened to TikToker Kat Newquist, who wasn't quite sure how to process a check that the big box store sent to her cat, Gandalf. — Read the rest
Over on StanleyTok, Stanley tumbler fever is still going strong. People are showing off their collections (some own dozens), sharing stories of kids being bullied for having off-brand dupes, and spreading news about folks who are buying Stanleys in bulk and reselling them for hundreds of dollars. — Read the rest
Last week, popular TikToker Ana Stanskovksy posted a video of herself receiving a large tattoo of her boyfriend's name ("Kevin") on her forehead. The video received widespread attention, garnering tens of millions of views, as well as a lot of criticism from people who told her that she was going to regret getting the tattoo. — Read the rest
I'm not great at parking. I often have to make multiple attempts to parallel park before I'm successful. I also have trouble pulling into a park spot. Either my car isn't centered in the middle of the spot or it's crooked. — Read the rest
Trader Joe's might not be the only one having issues with their packaged frozen food products. A TikToker recently opened a frozen pizza box from Walmart to reveal bugs crawling around underneath the plastic wrap. Of course she turned on her camera to share the appetizing surprise. — Read the rest
This TikTok video presents everything wrong with LinkedIn. Which makes sense, because a video showcasing the good things about LinkedIn would be zero seconds long.
If you've spent much time on LinkedIn, these will hit home:
It should surprise no one that success in the music industry does not necessarily mean success at music, or even a basic understanding of the building blocks of the very music that allows said industry to thrive. Consider Nathan Hubbard, current host of The Ringer's Every Single Album podcast. — Read the rest
TikToker Sevennn rented an Airbnb in Atlanta and was surprised to discover that someone was living in the crawlspace below the house. The video begins with a shot of the exterior of the house. "It look normal, right? Big and everything," she says. — Read the rest
Patrick Mayo is a fugitive apprehension officer and he uploads videos of he and his partners going into houses and searching for fugitives to TikTok.
He's kind of obnoxious, but he has to deal with obnoxious people, so I guess it comes with the territory. — Read the rest
Pickpockets in the tourist areas of Venice Italy aren't taking kindly to a TikToker who records them on video and loudly shouts "Attenzione pickpocket!" ("Attention, pickpocket!") to warn people in crowded areas that fast-fingered fiends are in the vicinity.
The woman, who posts her videos to @cittadininondistratti2 ("Cittadini Non Distratti", or "citizens not distracted") is 57-years-old Monica. — Read the rest
This TikTok video could be triggering to people who don't like vertical videos. Alex Cerrato, an editor and animator, used Stable Diffusion to imagine what movies like look like if they had been shot in portrait mode.
The films include 500 Days of Summer, Gladiator, Barbie, Kill Bill, Hereditary, The Exorcist, and others. — Read the rest
An Ohio doctor accused of prioritizing her TikTok account over her practice had her medical license permanently revoked yesterday.
Dr. Katharine Grawe, formerly a plastic surgeon, was known for livestreaming as @doctorroxy on TikTok as she performed surgeries on patients from 2018–2022. — Read the rest
If you're tired of "wellness influencers" on social media spreading misinformation about nutrition, exercise, and other aspects of health and wellness, then you should go check out Idrees Mughal. According to his website he is a "UK trained Medical Doctor, with an additional Master's degree in Nutritional Research and is Board-Certified in Lifestyle Medicine." — Read the rest
