The content that we can find on TikTok tells us what it is like to live through these times.

Sure, it is as full of AI slop, staged scenarios, and influencers selling an idealized version of their existence as many other social platforms, but it gives us an insight into the kind of stuff that people want to doomscroll through day after day. The internet no longer exists in a vacuum; it is a part of our lives. The vast number of individuals posting short-form video is proof of that.

One of the reasons that TikTok has maintained its grip on the cultural consensus is that it has convinced so many of us that our lives, no matter how mundane, are worth sharing with the wider world. We have an insight into a bigger chunk of the population than ever before, and in fairness, a lot of that can be pretty boring, but some of it is truly a pleasure. They share relatable thoughts or wild happenings that are truly deserving of a place on our algorithms.

Not all of us have a burning desire to go viral, but those that do are part of what is propping up the remaining parts of the internet culture ecosystem that are worth engaging with. TikTok helps to facilitate that, and the highlights that can be found below reveal just how varied the content that captures our attention can be. Just when we think that we’ve seen it all, there is something new coming around the corner.