Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
This week in class we learned how to be one of the cool kids and create content that appeals to the trendsetting Generation Z.
I like to think that separate from the fact that I’m not an overnight viral sensation, I keep up with plenty of Internet trends. I am quick to catch onto memes and my vernacular is very aligned with what you’d hear from a typical college Freshman, even though I don’t belong to the age group.
I’m a child of the Internet, you might say. We are many nowadays, so there’s nothing special about your content unless you work very hard to increase visibility and engagement. Art is only art when someone else sees it, right?
In yet another attempt to try my hand at TikTok, I made a video in the format of the Random Things in my Japanese Apartment That Just Make Sense trend. This trend is a few months old now, but I feel hasn’t been one of the trends to fall victim to overuse. I like to think I nailed it, after a few practice runs (timely voice overs and text overlay can be tricky to manage). Working in the actual studio of the platform is not only a great insight to all the tools content creators have at their disposal, but also how they use the tools to set a tone for their content that is so uniquely theirs.
I chose the topic of mental health, given that this week the U.S. fell back an hour for daylight saving which means Seasonal Affective Disorder is right around the corner for those of us who suffer from it. Something I have noticed about Gen Z is their willingness to be candid about their mental health issues; this is something I think has bled into the culture of younger millennials/zillennials and something I hope stays around in order to help continue to destigmatize people’s struggles with mental illness.
I hope the ~relatability~ of my topic plus the replication of the format trend will resonate with younger users.
