23: Weird FB Videos & an Endless DIY Bathroom Renovation
Plus a beautiful rat running in slow motion!
Hello! NS is back for the 23rd Issue. This is an extra long one!
But first I’d like to give some updates:
Night School has a new logo and email banner, which you’ve probably noticed by now.
I reached ~3 million views on a TikTok for work, so I have been spending some time focusing on analyzing the platform from the perspective of a creator/business.
If you enjoy Night School, consider supporting via Buy Me A Coffee.
Cheugy
If you’re a regular TikTok, Twitter OR Buzzfeed user you’ve probably seen discussions surrounding the word “Cheugy.” I won’t be sharing videos about it here but I thought I’d comment on it.
In my opinion, it is another made up buzzword used to make millennials feel old and to criticize women for the things they enjoy. Videos commenting on the word usually assert that it is used and made up by Gen-Z but strangely I have only seen millennials or press orgs using it. The whole thing is annoying to me, and people need to find something else to spend their time worrying about.
Trashcan Tok
I absolutely love this content. Porky is not only unsettling, but he cares about the environment… I think?
I have added Porky The Litter Eater to my Cursed Dream Road Trip google map.
And of course a clown:
Is Facebook Okay?
I should start by saying I only use Facebook for the messenger app or to check on my neighborhood “Buy Nothing” group. Even with minimal usage, some content is unavoidable. I have seen some really strange videos often involving badly performed pranks, unrealistic DIY “hacks” and excessive recipes.
TikTok user @adhdalli pointed out the overly sexual tone of these videos. This is the first one I saw on my FYP, it involves chicken:
The next one is very similar to a Nacho trend that went viral in late 2020 but with Mac N Cheese:
This one is out of control:
And this one:
Shortly after seeing the above TikTok video, the actress featured cooking the steak appeared in a prank video on FB. So of course I clicked on the profile sharing it and discovered magician, Rick Lax, to be the source of the content.
A few things I noticed:
His FB page tagline is strangely incomplete: “I try to post at least ONE awesome thing every single day. Sometimes it's a video, sometimes it's a”.
A master of click bait.
The food videos accompany the disclaimer: “for entertainment purposes only”.
Many of the videos have over 10 million views & over 100k comments. Viewer demographics seem to vary depending on the video. I would love to look at data for these videos.
I took a look at the comments for several videos, many of them seem to critique specific things happening in the video but nothing about the script or production. Here are some screenshots of comments:
What do you think of it? Discuss on Discord.
Thematic Makeup
In 2021 we are dressing up for the DMV. I love any excuse to wear a thematic outfit or makeup look and loved the energy here:
Bathroom Nightmare
A couple weeks ago I started seeing videos from @graceoheeron appear on my FYP, where she documents her DIY bathroom renovation.
Below are a few screen recordings I took. I recommend visiting her page to get the full story as she posts several times a day with very short videos. It is a lot of content.
She has painted, removed paint and re-painted her countertops several times, painted the floor and it just keeps going.
Here are some reactions that have appeared on my FYP:
I find it really interesting to see out of context content commenting on another video or user on TikTok without using hashtags, duets or links; but simply the assumption that the viewer would already understand the context.
Beautiful Boy
LOOK AT HIM
A Dish Soap fan video
This video came from an account that just posts dish soap photos set to pop music with bouncy & glittery filters.
A baby made a TikTok
Wedding or Funeral?
This one blew up on TikTok and I saw it reposted on Twitter and Instagram… but the question remains, is it a wedding or a funeral?
P.E.
I enjoy exercise and physical activity in general but I do not miss P.E.
This kid used a viral song in a smart and funny way, I’m all for it.
The viral song referenced is The Cigarette Duet by Princess Chelsea.
Yes. Another Raccoon…
It wouldn’t be Night School without raccoon content and I’VE NEVER SEEN A RACCOON LIKE THIS BEFORE:
Another TikTok Cult
Another cult resurfaced on TikTok called Love Has Won. My friend Emily made a fantastic YouTube video covering it:
Thanks for reading!
Discuss NS 23 on Discord.
Follow me on Twitter.