review by Jocelyn Ash
Amid the global crisis that we all know as COVID-19, one thing has become apparent: kids, adults and teenagers alike are spending more and more time on their phones.
An app called TikTok quickly skyrocketed to be one of the most popular video-sharing forms of social media. TikTok definitely has a unique position on the market as each video is limited anywhere from 15-60 seconds long. If you’re someone like me, who has an incredibly short attention span, TikTok is the perfect app to cure your boredom. It has millions of users and spits out hundreds of thousands of videos a day that range from dance to comedy to education.
Certain sounds and dances that garter a lot of attention end up becoming trends for other creators to participate in. Due to the length of these videos TikTok is an app that requires a lot of creativity, so following trends is super helpful, because you’re creating content that viewers popularized and definitely enjoy! Creators need to be able to capture the attention of viewers in a few measly seconds, or they can scroll right past with the swipe of a finger.
After having downloaded the app myself, I wondered if there were any content creators in Edmonton of all places – because if you ask me, I wasn’t sure if there were many people from Canada blowing up on the app. So I decided to do some digging and found quite a few popular creators from Alberta.
Aileen Christine
@aileenchristineee
Hailing from Edmonton is the popular and devastatingly hilarious Aileen Christine.
Aileen often posts comedy videos pranking and challenging her boyfriend Deven. She tends to focus on creating videos that follow the popular trending topics of the app, which have gained her 4.4 million followers and amassed over 191 million likes. It’s easy to understand why after watching just a few of her videos.
In one video, Aileen pranks Deven by watching his favourite television show without him in order to get his reaction on video. She plays the video out loud and asks Deven to pass her a pair of headphones. Deven, who has headphones on himself, slides them off in order to hear her and unconsciously begins to recite the words to the show. He pauses for a second as if realizing what she is watching and snaps his head in her direction, jaw dropped to the floor. Deven moves over to Aileen in order to get a look at the screen and confirm his thoughts, gasping in shock.
Aileen and Deven are constantly laughing and genuinely having the best time. They seem to be some of the most endearing, pure-hearted and happy people I’ve ever seen, and have a way of making you feel like your best self. It’s impossible not to giggle the moment a burst of loud hearty laughter erupts from one of their mouths. If you’re looking for some couple-goals inspiration or a good long laugh, look no further: Aileen and Deven will never cease to put a huge smile on your face!
Roman Carlson
@theromancarlson
Roman Carlson lives in Calgary and is most popular for his dancing videos. Whenever a new dance trend emerges in the TikTok community you can expect Roman to absolutely crush it. He moves like water and is completely fluid in every step he makes. His talent for dance is clearly recognized, as he has reached a whopping 1.6 million followers on TikTok and gained over 43 million likes.
Roman also represented Canada at the World Age Group Championships in Saint Petersburg, Russia for gymnastics. This event is a worldwide competition for trampoline gymnastics and is quite the accomplishment, Roman must have been very good at the sport in order to represent Canada at such an event!
Gravity is therefore no match for him, as often he’ll throw a casual backflip into his dancing videos. One of his most popular videos features him dancing energetically before doing a backflip seemingly out of nowhere! It’s easy to see that dancing makes him feel alive. He displays a joyful energy that reflects onto viewers, myself included, that makes you want to get up and dance with him.
If you’re interested in watching some high energy dancing that radiates pure glee and exhilaration, Roman’s videos are definitely the way to go!
James Jones
@notoriouscree
Another Edmontonian that is popular on TikTok is the Notorious Cree, also known as James Jones. James is Cree (Nehiyaw) and uses his TikTok platform to teach his 2.7 million followers about Indigenous culture and history, and has quickly risen to fame.
He frequently posts videos of traditional Indigenous dances in order to educate and share his culture with others. Often times you can see a huge smile stretch across his face as he dances proudly to Indigenous music in traditional Indigenous regalia, which are usually very bright in colour and extravagant in style. Prominent dances that appear on James’ TikTok include the men’s fancy dance, jingle dance, fancy shawl and hoop dances. He demonstrates the different kinds of hoop dance moves such as the eagle, the orca and the hummingbird (to list a few), and explains that, like Indigenous drum songs, hoop dances promote healing.
If you’re looking to watch some fun, upbeat, colourful dances and to educate yourself concerning Indigenous culture, then make sure to toss James a follow!
Jenny Krupa
@its_j_dog
Jenny is an 87-year-old Edmonton resident that proves TikTok isn’t just for the young folk. Jenny’s grandson created a TikTok account for her on a whim, and to their surprise she went viral, gaining a whopping 2 million followers with over 83 million likes.
Jenny stars in comedy videos produced by her grandson, Skylar Krupka. She is insanely popular, as it isn’t every day you see a grandmother using the same slang and dark humour of the younger generation. One of Jenny’s most popular videos features her laying sprawled out on the stairs, glasses crooked and hair a mess while on facetime with life-alert because she had fallen and could not get up.
If this dark humour doesn’t make you laugh, then I don’t know what will. It is clear that while Jenny really enjoys creating these videos, her grandson is the mastermind behind the ideas they come up with. Jenny even replies to comments that are left under her videos, which often times end up being quirky and sarcastic clap-backs to people wanting her to be their own grandmother!
If you are looking for sardonic content with a hint of wholesome grandmother vibes, Jenny’s your gal!
Noor Dabash
@noordabashh
Noor Dabash was born and raised in Calgary and rose to stardom for her make-up and lip sync videos. From clowns, to skeletons, to abstract and everyday looks, Noor is beyond talented with a makeup brush – and it shows.
Noor boasts around 4.5 million followers on TikTok and has accumulated over 193 million likes overall. She creatively pairs her makeup looks with sounds that correlate to them as well. To celebrate Halloween, Noor did 31 makeup looks from the start to the end of October. Her most famous look was that of the Other Mother from the creepy Halloween movie Coraline. Not only did she look exactly like the character, but she paired the video with a sound from the movie as well, amplifying the spooky and spine-chilling feelings that are associated with Halloween.
It’s easy to understand why Noor is so popular after watching a few of her videos; she is incredibly talented and is only 17 years old. If you’re looking for some makeup inspiration Noor is definitely the person to check out!
When I first discovered TikTok it was an app I considered to be childish and for children, and in my defense initially it was!
However, as its popularity grew among young adults, so did my interest in it. After downloading TikTok I realized that it wasn’t simply a goofy app for kids, but an app that was designed to let users explore their creativity, and to educate and make people laugh.
Now, I spend a lot of my spare time scrolling through videos. The videos provide me with a semblance of normalcy and interaction that I, like many others, have been deprived of for quite some time now. If you’ve been debating downloading TikTok, I highly recommend that you do, you won’t regret it!
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