TikTok Trends 2024: The Most Important Trends To Watch

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TikTok is the channel to watch trends and memes develop. We look at the macro trends on TikTok over the start of 2024 for inspiration in your content creation.

TikTok trends move so quickly that it’s not easy to keep pace, as memes can appear and disappear within days.

For anyone working in social media or content marketing, keeping up to date is important to leverage relevant trends and inspire new content.

From observation, TikTok is becoming the starting point for many trends and memes that then influence other channels.

So, even if you are not on the video platform, you should still be monitoring what is happening on TikTok to stay informed of general trends and memes that can filter down through other channels and forms of content.

We’ll be looking at the macro trends we’ve seen swaying TikTok over the start of 2024, as well as some specific examples you can start to use.

As always, if you’re going to get involved with a trend or meme, your approach needs to feel authentic to both the format and your brand.

TikTok is great at constantly creating new meme formats. Here are just a few pieces of relatable social content that have been trending recently.

This tragically cute hamster with oversized eyes is accompanied by sad violin music, popularised by Spongebob Squarepants and Mr. Krabs’ “Sad Song on World’s Smallest Violin.”

These two elements combine to create the ‘Sad Hamster,’ typically posted by TikTokers as a reaction to something overwhelming or difficult.

This is me if you even care😞 #thisismeifyouevencare #thisisme #real #silly #sad #sillymeme #goofymeme #goofy #sadmeme #hampter #sadhampter #sadhamster #hamster #fyp #foryou

By projecting ourselves onto the sad hamster, feeling a little bit defeated by challenges in everyday life becomes more understandable because life can be hard when you’re a small rodent.

There is always time #HamsterMeme #SadHamsterMeme #Funny #Sweet #Sad #Heartbreaking #Utah #Coffee #Funny

If you’ve recently experienced a setback or problem or want to make a humorous observation about customers, the sad hamster could be the right format for your content.

It is a tough feeling to swallow when you realize that the project you spent time and effort on was ultimately pointless.

That’s how this trend formed, sharing that profound frustration by lipsyncing to a snippet of “Rose’s Turn” sung by Kurt from Glee as the camera slowly pans around them.

Can i just have 24 hours of clean?! 🫠 #momlife #allthatworkfornothing #momsoftiktok #whatdiditgetme #allthatwork #fyp #fypシ #fypシ゚viral #momsoftiktokclub #sahm #sahmlifebelike #sahmlife

This format is for those who’ve worked hard to perfect something and have had it come to nothing.

Context is everything with this trend, adding a caption that quickly summarizes the situation.

Maybe your marketing plan for the month has just been disrupted by something and now needs to change completely.

Turn that difficult realization into content for others to share in your struggles with.

We’ve built up Monday morning in our head as being the worst experience possible, but once it comes around, things are often surprisingly positive.

That’s exactly the feeling this trend aims to capture with an element of sitcom character behavior, giving a short laugh over how silly they feel.

This trend can be an excellent format for showing how your organization’s product or service can help customers overcome their challenges. It also highlights that you understand their problems.

Or, you can parody this trend with ridiculous situations that don’t feel realistic to grab users’ attention and have them talk about your brand.

A recent survey of TikTok users showed that 65% look to content creators for product reviews and research prior to decision-making.

With the US launch of TikTok Shop in September 2023, the platform is now also an ecommerce site that can connect directly with users. Half of TikTok users now say they’re open to purchasing items directly from the app, giving brands a large pool of prospective customers.

When it comes to researching brands online, 51% of Gen Z prefer to use social media over traditional search engines.

People have been using TikTok to find content and communities for years, but now it’s becoming an alternative search engine that turns up results through its user-generated content.

TikTok user behaviors have changed in the last six months or so, affecting the types of content creators are producing, such as the rise of “dupe content” advertising alternatives to popular products.

Here are some of the TikTok trends related to this wider shift, which you can adopt to diversify your TikTok content.

Taking some inspiration from ASMR video techniques, we’ve seen silent product reviews become a staple video format similar to the ‘get ready with me’ trend.

Demonstrating key product features without commentary, it hones in on creators giving more honest product demonstrations with each item doing the talking.

A silent review of all my designer mini bags #silentreviews #silentreview #designerbags #bagtok #minibags #luxurybags #designerminibags

Creators give their verdict mainly through facial expressions and exaggerated gestures, channeling elements of mime similar to Khaby Lame’s content.

If you’re in the business of selling specific products and want to demonstrate their benefits, this trend could be an authentic fit for your content.

For anyone looking to get started with a hobby or side hustle, TikTok has a wealth of videos covering almost every topic out there.

As TikTok is being used as more of a search engine, there’s naturally been an influx of how-to videos and guides to help introduce people to certain niches.

Cricut for Beginners #cricutforbeginners #cricuttutorials #cricutnewbies #cricuttips #cricuthacks #cricut #cricuttok #cricutprojects #cricutcrafters #craftyfriends #craftymoms #crafting #craftysmallbusiness

These can be especially helpful as you can demonstrate key features or techniques in easy, bite-size formats without overwhelming a beginner with too much information.

Your business can demonstrate its expertise and knowledge in a certain area by creating quick, simple guides which will build your brand’s credibility.

Coinciding with the launch of TikTok Shop and users being increasingly targeted to spend money, deinfluencing has surged in popularity again.

This trend is aimed at helping people avoid unnecessary spending and impulse purchases pushed via the app, such as cheaper dupes of popular products, as well as living more sustainably.

what else are you not giving into?? #deinfluencing #deinfluncer #deinfluenceskincare #fyp2024

Things that are not worth the hype 🤷‍♀️ #deinfluencing #notworththehype #purchaseregret

Niche interest groups and minority identities have found their audiences on TikTok. They don’t feel the need to dilute their content as they’re creating for a specific, engaged demographic.

You can find many established subgroups within TikTok attaching ‘tiktok’ or the ‘tok’ suffix to create a hashtag – #booktok, #cottagetok, #diytok, etc.

This has enabled communities to share knowledge, ambitions, relatable experiences, and trusted recommendations.

If you’re looking to create your own community or exist within a specific niche, there are some trends that can help get you noticed.

Everyone has their own dreams and aspirations they want to achieve. While the world around us is becoming increasingly overwhelming, users are turning to delusional comfort – or staying #delulu – as a way to fight against it.

This is a way for users to project their personal fantasies and manifest their desires to express their most authentic selves, even if, in reality, they aren’t quite able to make it happen yet.

HOW I GASLIGHT MYSELF 101 #deluluforever #delulusolulu #deluluisthesolulu #hotgirlshit #toxic #selflove #highvaluewoman #selfmotivation

♬ original sound – J S M N | Jasmine W. 🤍 – J S M N | @jasminewiljono

The key is seemingly being self-aware that you’re being delusional and can, therefore, harness its power without falling prey to ‘main character syndrome.’

In fact, Gen Z is using this as a way to make the seemingly impossible possible and reject “cringe” by having unshakeable confidence.

You can even incorporate this idea into your own content by showing your unrealistically high expectations of your brand or using your brand to showcase a delulu lifestyle.

Thrift shopping isn’t a new concept, but on TikTok, it has evolved into a niche of its own to allow self-expression and connect with others.

obv i started some of these before deciding i wanted to do a vid lol #thriftflip #thrift #sewing #sewingtiktok #alterations #fyp #outfit #outfitideas #outfitinspo #petethecat #clothes

By taking something that’s thrifted and altering or styling it a certain way, creators are showing how others can create certain aesthetics more sustainably.

Every aesthetic exists almost all at once on social media now – grandpacore, mob wife aesthetic, tomato-girl summer, old money aesthetic to name a few from the last few years.

People can try out different aesthetics and find what fits, with thrift-flipping providing a way to do it outside of fast fashion.

This trend has become a staple format for Spring on TikTok, with two people taking turns riffing on a topic, saying, “We’re [identity/group here], of course we…”

I’m filipina, of course I’m posting this video #filipina #pinoy #pinoycomedy #pinoytiktok #ofcourse #fyp

Using the prompt, people have pointed out the assumptions people make about their group and played up elements of stereotypes for comic effect.

TikTokers have then taken this format and played with it further, breaking the fourth wall with a ‘failed attempt’ in which their co-star didn’t get the brief and said something ‘wrong’.

These work as in-jokes for the specific groups being discussed and as funny caricatures for those who exist outside of them.

You can use this trend to put your own spin on your organization’s industry, playing up stereotypes or parodying your own office culture similar to Rob Mayhew or Emirates.

Of course, they’re the iconic EmirATEs cabin crew. 💁‍♀️ #Emirates #CabinCrew #TravelTok #OfcourseTrend

While the myth that the average human attention is now shorter than that of a goldfish has been debunked, some studies have shown results that people do feel their attention is shorter than before because of social media.

Some content creators started to splice in clips from video games and other media using the Duet features to help hold their audiences’ attention and maximize engagement – dubbed ‘sludge content.’

While users are content to engage with this brain-saturating content, there’s also been a movement against this to create more immersive, human content.

In a sea of content pandering to overstimulating your attention, others are creating videos that act as a calm oasis.

Lo-fi aesthetic videos have gained popularity over the years, with Lo-fi Girl being the poster person for this particular trend.

my sleep schedule isn’t scheduling 🎨 @thelaurd via @Lofi Studio #lofigirl #studying #memes #sleep #allnighter

Creating a visually calming video focused on a single scene with minimal movement and simple, melodic music has audiences taking a breather.

Infancia, bonita infancia 💚 . . . . . . #lofi #cartoonnetwork #herb #aesthetic #coraje #nightsky

Brands have jumped on board with similar content, releasing longer-form videos to engage with on other platforms but promoted through TikTok to give audiences a small break.

If your brand can lean into this visual style or create an authentic parody, it can get people to engage with your brand passively.

Trends aren’t a new thing in the world, especially in fashion. People have wanted to be on trend for years, with magazines, movies, and TV shows all setting the trends and reflecting the organic ones that formed.

TikTok and social media have accelerated the trending process, breaking down the 20-year trend cycles we used to see into rapid trend sprints that can overlap.

Trends are now incubated by the collective attention of social media users who determine what gets engagement and what doesn’t.

This becomes amplified by the sheer number of people engaging with content. Because of the huge audience interacting on TikTok daily, people can validate their experiences almost instantly.

And, if someone has coined a term for it, it can spread like wildfire. Think “girl dinner,” “microcheating,” “polywork,” and more.

Once it becomes part of the collective consciousness of TikTok with its own hashtag, people can Duet or Stitch videos and create their own content using templates to evolve a trend further.

TikTok launched its Creative Center this year, giving creators another tool to help find inspiration for posts.

You can browse what’s trending in your country, broken down into hashtags, songs, creators, and videos.

Each category can give you insights into what type of content is trending, whether that’s lip-syncing audio, popular creators, or specific video formats.

There’s also the Creative Assistant, which provides a suite of AI-assisted tools to help streamline the creative process.

You can ask the Creative Assistant for insights on what’s trending right now, along with related videos, so you can see what other creators are making for that niche.

It also writes ad scripts, but these won’t be tailored to your business’s tone of voice or unique selling points.

They can act as a starting point if you’re very stuck, but without a detailed prompt, it might not produce content you can easily use.

When looking for ideas to fill your content calendar with, TikTok gives you a good indicator of what Gen Z is currently resonating with.

By getting an idea of the platform’s popular trends, you can find a way to leverage them for your own brand in an authentic way.

You need to make sure that the trend’s video style is a good fit for your brand. If it feels forced, your content could draw negative attention due to the inauthentic sentiment behind it.

What’s important is that in order to integrate your content organically into a trend, you need to be agile and reactive.

Leaving it too late to get involved with a trend might make your audience feel that you’re too corporate and leave them cringing at your content instead.

Shelley Walsh is the SEO Content Strategist at SEJ & produces the Pioneers, a series about the history of SEO …

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