NicheTok

About

NicheTok refers to a TikTok aesthetic and culture that consists of stylized meme compilations and shitposts that reference multiple fandoms, subcultures and memes specific to TikTok, in that, in order to fully understand or appreciate the videos, one would need a niche literacy of TikTok trends and its algorithm. NicheTok is a twin trend of TikTok's Corecore and inspired various -core suffix trends on the app such as Pinkcore, Jizzcore and Distcore, among others. So-called NicheTokers use sped-up remixes and nightcore music as their TikTok sounds as well as sad slideshow audios that romanticize depression and loneliness. NicheTok videos first surfaced on the app in 2022 and ultimately hark on the aesthetic foundations that YouTube Poop built in the early internet.

History

Starting in early 2021, video creators on TikTok began compiling seriously-toned movie scenes with meme references in videos that harked on sadness, disorientation and general confusion about the world. One of the earliest known, viral videos of such nature was posted on January 1st, 2021, by TikToker^[1] masonoelle who used clips ranging from American Psycho to Charli D'Amelio in order to portray an oversaturation of content that led to romanticized insanity in the consumer. The video received roughly 47,600 plays and 6,000 likes in two years (shown below, left). About a year later, on March 18th, 2022, TikToker^[2] highenquiries posted a similar video that used clips ranging from British filmmaker Adam Curtis to Nikocado Avocado. The video earned roughly 43,300 plays and 4,400 likes in nine months (shown below, right).

Both of the aforementioned TikToks, however, predate the use of the term NicheTok and its coinciding hashtag #nichetok" which later became associated with the video edit style. Between March 2022 and mid-2022, various NicheTok-esque videos surfaced before the term's coinage. For instance, on May 18th, 2022, TikToker^[3] batmanisjustlikemefr posted a NicheTok-esque video referencing Fight Club and Bladee, among other signifiers, that earned roughly 92,600 plays and 16,600 likes in seven months (shown below, left). On July 29th, 2022, TikToker^[4] kurtanglelovesme posted a video that used Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul clips. In the video's description, kurtanglelovesme used "#nichetok," thereby being the first known video to reference the term. Over the course of five months, the TikTok received roughly 49,700 plays and 9,400 likes (shown below, right).

Spread

Going into August 2022, TikTokers (such as TikToker^[3] batmanisjustlikemefr) picked up on the usage of "#nichetok" as a way to categorize their edit style and earn engagement. As stated in Know Your Meme writer Ally Dinning's editorial, "NicheTok: How To Meme An Aesthetic," many of the early iterations of NicheTok videos referenced British culture, specifically using clips from British shows like Peep Show and The Inbetweeners as well as football clips from the Premier League and elsewhere.

One notable August 2022 NicheTok example that used British signifiers was uploaded on August 10th, 2022, by TikToker^[5] ikindalikethings66 who earned roughly 22,400 plays and 4,900 likes in four months (shown below, left). On August 19th, 2022, TikToker^[6] mikelartetaismydad posted a similar British NicheTok video that earned roughly 120,800 plays and 23,200 likes in four months (shown below, right).

Going into late 2022, the concepts of NicheTok and Corecore grew alongside each other, with "#nichetok" and "#corecore" being used together in the descriptions of many videos. Additionally, NicheTok videos started to encompass much more than British signifiers, becoming more abstract and self-referential over time. NicheTok videos became increasingly viral in November 2022, and in late December 2022, "#nichetok" on TikTok^[7] had amassed roughly 161.3 million total views.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References