Top Sounds 

Our curated picks of the top sounds on TikTok

1. An Ancient Man This sound speaks to the Victorian child ghost in all of us.
2. It Feels Like A Movie From the lips of Harry Styles comes this delightful, almost Julia Fox-esque, word-salad. Use this to express that you have run out of things to say, or never really knew what you were trying to say to begin with.
3. One Thing About Me A sound for the Barbz, and anyone trying to look bad as hell for their TikTok audience.
4. Typing… This typing sound is perfect for a short video where you express an opinion about a topic in your niche.

 Our Sound Highlight 

Two Plastic Easter Eggs

Mood: 

Use this sound to show us two good versions of something and one questionable version.

 Video Highlight 

Everyone else can go home. PBS got to the Teenage Dirtbag trend (or rather the inverse version) and I cannot think of a better marrying of account and sound.

 The Moment 

Issues at the forefront of online discourse— the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8th.

Queen Elizabeth reigned as Queen of the United Kingdom for 70 years, longer than any other monarch, six years longer than her ancestor Queen Victoria who ruled from 1837-1901. As news media has already pointed out, she was the only monarch most British people knew.

In the wake of the death of the Queen, there has been a flood of responses including a re-examination of monarchy, discussions of colonialism, and Scottish, Irish, and Welsh independence. The scale and scope of emotions and sentiments expressed were almost unprecedented (I do mean almost).

This is a massive cultural moment, and not just for those in the UK. As a Kenyan, I could talk about the sudden interest in the events that deeply affected my family, media calling protesters (over the death of Chris Kaba) mourners, the loss of a generation with the memory of WWII, or even how white supremacy culture affects discourse about colonialism. Instead, I only offer two thoughts.

First: we need to stop policing the language of people who have experienced the effects of colonization. “Respect” is for the living too.

Second: Henry Kissinger, when?

 The Zeitgeist 

Hot topics from across the internet

• Don’t Worry Darling drama continued with Aperol spritz and spit— but apparently, Harry Styles did not spit on Chris Pine.
• Leonardo DiCaprio concerns me as he continues to prove the “Leo only dates women under 25” rule to be true. If you need me I’ll be out screaming “RUN” at whoever is next.
• Disney has been releasing all the teaser trailers. From The Little Mermaid to The Mandalorian.
• Racists are suddenly invested in the race of elves, dragonriders, and mermaids. Not only are these *fictional beings* Black people ought to be in stories. Corlys’ locs have been adding to the story IMO. But then I do essentially re-enact this video whenever I see a Velaryon.
• If you catch me stealing corgis, no you didn’t.

 The Takeaway 

We’re living in the world of BeReal.

This isn’t my pitch for the platform, don’t worry. But it has been gaining in popularity, especially with Gen Z and Generation Alpha demographics. And there’s a fairly simple reason why. It’s yet another move away from the Instagram mode of social media, instead, a little closer related to the relaxed energy of Snapchat— a place to (yeah I’m gonna say it) be real.

The app’s popularity is a reminder to let loose with your content on TikTok. A TikTok video doesn’t need to get the Palme d’Or. You can let go of aesthetics a little. You’re no Luca Guadagnino, anyway. Trust me, I don’t say this from a place of ease— when it comes to aesthetics I am firmly (if upsettingly) on the millennial pink side of the generational cusp. Nevertheless, when platforms are more interested in consistency than composition, it might be worth letting go of your aesthetic expectations.

Made it to the end of this newsletter? Here’s a treat, African cinema and LOTR.

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