5 TikTok Creators to Watch to Stave Off the Existential Dread
By: Lara Henneman
Tags: Election 2020, Anxiety, Social Media, Tiktok App, Creators

5 TikTok Creators to Watch to Stave Off the Existential Dread Lara Henneman Follow Nov 3 · 4 min read

This week is going to be tough, no matter how you slice it. If you’re like me, you’ve been feeling mounting dread and anxiety for months about the outcome of the American election. Plus dealing with the pandemic’s ongoing casual cruelty and life-altering changes. One thing I have found real refuge in over the course of 2020’s calendar of horrors is the community, encouragement, and humor that TikTok’s creators are putting out for free into the universe. It is so much more than kids dancing — it will soothe your soul and keep you up late into the night, peering into your phone, laughing to yourself.

I joined TikTok in April after a coworker shared that it was helping keep her sane on lock down, a pitch she sweetened with a few funny dog and toddler videos. As an elder millennial, I generally view new social media platform with healthy skepticism — I have responsibilities! I don’t have time for every next new thing. But man am I glad I joined TikTok. The community of creators on TikTok are authentic, vulnerable, and unbelievably creative. By and large, it’s real people putting out videos, not airbrushed celebrity “influencers.” It’s a breath of fresh air after the vitriole and general decline of Facebook. One “sound” that’s viral on TikTok now says: “Facebook will make you hate the people you know, but TikTok will make you love the people you’ll never meet.” In a year where empathy is in short supply, we all need that.

Facebook will make you hate the people you know, but TikTok will make you love the people you’ll never meet.

Here are five creators who have brought me joy:

@justme.rod- is the WFH Millennial guy. His entire feed is him dancing (“vibing”) to the hits of the early 2000s with commentary on the reality of a corporate job that doesn’t fulfill your soul, for example, he shakes his shoulders and sings along to Dream’s 2001 “He loves U Not” while the caption reads: “Millennials finishing another Monday ‘living the dream’ when this is not at all ‘the dream.’” I find myself liking almost every single one of his videos, which are super low-production (literally just a guy sitting in front of his computer) but clever and direct in speaking to my own malaise.

“Duets” are an entertaining TikTok feature that allows creators to comment a play-by-play or mirror another video by putting their own side by side. The best of these are by @tegareacts, particularly her reactions to things that people are cooking or making. She code-switches between an African and American accent and is uniquely funny in both. I also love when she dabbles in motivational content and wish we could be friends.

Fantasizing about escaping the city and moving to a farm? Check out @useless_farm’s hilarious videos featuring emus (including one very salty one named Karen), llamas, goats and more. In a world where you don’t get to see your coworkers except on a 2X2 box on a screen, it’s refreshing to get to know the animals on the farm and their hilarious owner.

For those who have cut cable, if you miss CNN and want to see the best political commentator out there, check out @quentinjiles, “your political BFF.” From his house, he takes down national and local politicians (he’s from Georgia) alike in the exact kind of insightful, assertive commentary we need. Plus he throws in an amazing amount of Southern expressions and exasperation.

Worried that our democracy is failing and the rest of the world has no idea? @paddythepanda has our back from Ireland. Knife-sharp commentary on Trump’s neo-facist acts and how they are viewed by the rest of the world helps me feel like I’m not crazy, and this place really is on fire. Plus he seems kind, like a smart Irish teddy bear.

There are so many more. More honorable mentions include TikTok comedians @dinonuggets.jpg, @yoleendadong, and @ghosthoney. TikTok’s proprietary magic algorithm continually refines the content you see based on what you like and interact with. So you might like a few sheep videos and find yourself deep in farmer TikTok. You can scroll aimlessly on your “for you” page or search for videos on topics that interest you. You can watch the cute, surface stuff or dig deep on how to process trauma. You can learn from your neighbors and strangers all over the world, everyone from epidemiologists dissecting the latest studies to addicts working through their recoveries. It is utterly human. I encourage discovery, because that’s where you find the real magic you didn’t know you needed.

Share your favorites in the comments!

PS- Say what you want about TikTok’s security issues. I argue that they are no more or no less than any other free app that treats you, the consumer, as the product — it is your data all of these platforms are harvesting. But out of an abundance of caution, go to your settings and turn off access to your camera and microphone. In order to like videos, you have to post at least one. So you can do this and say hello (or video your pet, or leaves falling, any old thing) and then revoke those permissions for the app for safe browsing.