tiktok

Last year, an unfortunate conspiracy theory spread all over TikTok denying Helen Keller's disabilities and achievements. Welp, the truthers are apparently back at it as 'Helen Keller' trended on Twitter this week for all the wrong reasons. So where the hell did this theory come from? At the beginning of 2020, crass Helen Keller jokes were trending on TikTok, which might have inspired TikToker @mygrandmaslooselip to post a video claiming that Helen Keller wasn't actually blind. What might have started out as a tacky ploy to take advantage of a trending hashtag quickly became a full-blown conspiracy theory, mostly backed by zoomers claiming she was either faking her disabilities, that her teacher Anne Sullivan was fabricating Keller's achievements, or that she didn't exist at all. The truly hard thing to believe is that the conspiracy itself is real. Many of these TikTok videos have an air of twisted irony about them—maybe it's all just a bit. Though one shouldn't underestimate the idiocy of TikTok trends. Maybe some would rather believe a conspiracy denying Helen Keller's existence than admit they'll likely never measure up to the achievements and activism of a woman who lived with blindness and deafness. We should say that not all of TikTok is all gung ho about the conspiracy. Many have posted responses debunking the theories. For example, TikToker @diwhine posted a rebuttal video with captions that read, "This is the worst thing I've seen on this app. TikTok is so toxic. People are literally denying the fact that Helen Keller existed & discrediting her...She knew five languages because she wanted to learn them and she was given the tools to do that. She was able to thrive because people accommodated her. She was able to do all these things because instead of people saying 'oh, you can't do that, you're blind and deaf'—no, they said 'sure, we'll make it work."

It's not totally clear why the theory has recently had a resurgence, but Helen Keller denial discourse has made its way to Twitter after a history teacher uploaded a TikTok video of himself reacting to his middle school students claim that 'Helen Keller was fake' or that she was 'the nazi guy.' Even more theories have since circulated, claiming that Keller was a racist eugenicist and that Anne Sullivan owned slaves. Despite the well-documented fact that Keller was an outspoken socialist, feminist, and early supporter of the NAACP, Helen Keller deniers are calling for her to be 'cancelled.' We can't make this stuff up. Unsurprisingly, Twitter has takes on all this. While most write off the theories as baseless and inherently ableist, some have used ironic jokes to mock those who believe in the conspiracy. 

Doesn't it suck when you're in desperate need of a distraction but there's nothing jumping out to save you from that evil chore demanding your attention? No need to panic, because we've got the perfect excuse for you: mmmeeemmmeeesss! And if this list of dankness isn't enough, we've got even more memes here, here, and here.

TikTok is certainly the latest social media craze among the teens, but it's also come under fire for allegedly collecting user data and sending it to Chinese authorities. That, and memers across the board seem to hate it. Accordingly, we've curated this gallery of memes that poke a little fun, and we hope you enjoy!

We realize that it's important to eat healthy, but some people really take cutting calories too far. Twitter user @poetatoboi shared a TikTok from one such person yesterday, and it's garnering some very unsavory reactions. The video comes from @eemilydharperr, who is apparently willing to sacrifice flavor for less fat. In the cursed clip she shares a "hot tip" that she learned in a nutrition class years ago. After showing all the meat juice and grease in her pan of cooked and crumbly ground beef, she pours the meat and liquid into a strainer...and then proceeds to rinse it with water. 

The video has caused quite a stir on Twitter, from people who know how important flavor is as well as folks who are horrified by the havoc that grease wreaks upon pipes. The double dose of cringe has resulted in some very funny and hard to argue with twitter reactions. And we're here to share them with you. 

TikTok from the outside appears to be a pretty insular online community with a chaotic method of delivering content that is daunting to inexperienced users. Because of this, many stay on the outside and make up their minds about the app, but we'd argue that these people might be missing out on one of the most interesting parts of TikTok—the comments. This shouldn't be a big surprise, since we all know you can always find gold in the YouTube comments, for example. The comments are also an interesting insight into what's going on in the minds of Gen Z—though all ages use the app, almost half of the users are under the age of 24. 

Since June, Twitter account @commentsooc has been doing a great job documenting some of the best of TikTok's comments. If you're interested in taking a look into this world but are too scared of the app, you've come the the right place.

If you've been on the internet at all over the last couple weeks, chances are you've seen Nathan Apodaca's viral video in which he is skateboarding (and drinking Ocean Spray cranberry juice) to Fleetwood Mac's 'Dreams.' The wholesome TikTok brightened the collective spirit of the internet, and inspired responses from Mick Fleetwood and the CEO of Ocean Spray himself.

Ocean Spray's Tom Hayes didn't stop at making a copycat video to show appreciation for Nathan Apodaca's unintentional viral marketing for his brand. The farmer-owned cooperative decided to pay Apodaca a surprise visit in Idaho, and gifted the TikTok sensation a brand new Nissan truck - and a whole lot of juice. 

The gift is a blessing to Apodaca, who has been living in an RV outside his brother's house. Generous fans have donated over $10k to improve his situation. The money was originally going to help him upgrade his car, but it seems like Ocean Spray has helped him cross that off his list. We're happy to see the genius behind 420doggface208 feel some of the love he's given to the rest of the world. 

If you'd like to support Nathan follow him on TikTok and Instagram, and perhaps consider purchasing some of his merch. Your vibes will thank you.

It's easy to laugh at pretty much anything on TikTok, especially anything involving relationships. But thanks to this garbage fire of a year, we're a little more accepting of cringe when it somehow manages to give us hope. TikTok user @liltransboykai shared a video that fits the bill yesterday - a clip of his coworker Willow proposing to his partner Akira. The whole thing goes down at work, which for these three happens to be a McDonald's. The video eventually made its way to Twitter, where users both mocked and praised it with a heavy dose of predictable sass. Though we enjoyed the laugh, we wish these two a happy future. 

We cannot say this enough: always use restraint when using social media at work or when posting about work. You never know when your shitpost will go viral. Tiktok user  @briannaraelenee learned this the hard way after posting from the kitchen at the Panera Bread where she worked. Her video, which shows Brianna Ramirez preparing mac and cheese - by heating a plastic bag. The video exposed some of Panera's less wholesome cooking methods, and caused feelings of outrage and betrayal among Panera patrons. The revelatory video went so viral, that according to Brianna, it was featured on her town's news - which led to her firing. A brave sacrifice so that we could all learn the truth.

Sometimes we have to separate ourselves from our symbiotic relationship with the internet at remind ourselves: g*ddamn this place is messed up, and yet still wildly entertaining. Twitter user @Mikaela_wild helped us revisit this notion on President's Day. The Minnesotan called a very special niche of TikTok to our attention. The divorce and breakup videos. We thought that TikTok was cringey to begin with, but this Twitter thraed has opened our minds to levels of corniness and cringe that we really didn't think was possible.