Top Sounds 

Our curated picks of the top sounds on TikTok

1. Anti-Hero It was simply an inevitability that Taylor Swift’s new music was going to take TikTok by storm. This song does raise questions though— like what’s the deal with that line? Is that a 30 Rock or a Twilight reference? Either way, use this sound when you are the problem.
2. I’m Coming Back For You Baby! This sound is for the procrastinator in all of us and for the people who leave glasses of water, half-finished, lying around the house.
3. The Dolphin Is Dead This sound is part two of our sound highlight and is wonderfully bonkers. I picture both sounds on the same continuum as Berries & Cream. It’s an extremely goofy sound meant for your more humorous and absurd videos.
4. That’s Me In The Corner This is another Under The Sea remix. Use this to expose what you no longer believe in.
5. The Rats Are Gonna Hate This This one is for the New Yorkers, undoubtedly. PBS knew exactly how to use it though.
6. I’m A Quitter We don’t always live up to our promises. This is a sound for some honestly. It is also a magnificently brutal sound considering it came directly from the BBC.

 Our Sound Highlight 

Do You Wear Wigs?

Mood: 

I’ve been cracking up at this sound all week. I’m fresh off a rewatch of the LoTR trilogy and wrapped RoP, so what I needed most was the revival of this prank interview with Elijah Wood, set to the tune of Under The Sea. In my personal opinion, when TikTok is this weird and niche it is at its best.

 Video Highlight 

BBC wins this week, I fear. This video reminded me of a pure classic way of approaching TikTok and digital media. Using editing for comedy. It’s an easy enough thing for other accounts to replicate, should they have the right video footage. The result, in this case, wasn’t just a funny bit of edited video but a trending sound. Well played, BBC TikTok manager. I see you.

 The Moment 

Issues that are at the forefront of online discourse— fatphobia

Taylor Swift. Kanye West. It feels like 2009. What’s also recalling the 2000s? The sheer rise in “thin is in” media. In the past few weeks, there has, seemingly, been an explosion of discussions about fatphobia.

First, Kanye West went on Tucker Carlson and espoused deeply harmful rhetoric about Lizzo. Kanye’s comments on FOX only proved the connection between fatphobia and white supremacy.

Then, when Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero music video dropped, the internet had varied responses, to her invocation of internalized fatphobia. For some, the image rang hollow— like a thin friend declaring “ugh, I feel so fat.” While others saw the imagery as an examination of ED culture where ‘fat’ is seen as the enemy.

I can only encourage reaching your own conclusions about the music video. What’s more important, is the sheer relevance of fatphobia in this cultural moment. For years now, the alt-right has built various ramps into the right. From gamergate to online misogynoir, and fatphobia. Fatphobia lives in the context of historical systems of oppression. It is a part of the fabric of the workings of white supremacy and it is severely myopic to see fatphobia as simply a matter of bullying or body shaming. We have to keep this context in mind as these conversations dominate more of the cultural zeitgeist.

 The Zeitgeist 

Hot topics from across the internet

• Everyone wanted to know what was in Olivia Wilde’s salad dressing after her ex-nanny leaked text messages from the director and her ex-husband, and how it’s apparently so special that Jason Sudeikis lay in front of a car because of it.
  • The leaked texts really give off “rich people are awful” vibes #believe.
• Liz Truss resigned as British Prime Minister, a head of lettuce officially lasted longer— and put out fewer disastrous economic policies.
• Shein was at the center of online discourse as Twitter users went back and forth on what ethical clothing truly entails. All this, in light of an investigation showing Shein’s real impact on workers and the environment.
• We mourn stage and screen legend Angela Lansbury and actor-comedian Leslie Jordan.
• Love Is Blind season three has begun streaming on Netflix. There’s a lot of cringe, but personally, I’m reeling from a cast member describing being given a Maasai blanket in South Africa. You know, 3,000 miles away from the Maasai Mara… in Kenya.

 The Takeaway 

Getting creative with influencer pitching.

Sometimes in influencer marketing, we get a little used to our processes. After all, it is simply far more efficient to fire off a unified pitch to influencers when trying to hire them. But every now and then, I let myself section of an influencer or two— the ones I think might have an interesting approach and I try to reverse engineer the process a little. I look at my creative request and think critically about how that influencer might best deliver the message. For example, I might know that most of the influencers I’m reaching out to can kill an explainer video but it might be far more successful if influencers X and Z did skits based on specific past videos of theirs.

While this week’s influencer marketing takeaway is a little in the weeds of our work, it brings me to the same conclusion I often run into— it is important to stay open to new ideas. Flexibility and creativity only ever help us as we strive for results across unpredictable platforms and audiences.

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

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