Throughout the 2010s, spotless and sun-kissed social media posts became the norm. If you weren’t in Dubai, or didn’t have abs, or weren’t sponsoring a celebrity energy drink, there was really no point in posting anything towards the end of the decade. And while that norm remains, more and more users – across platforms – are flirting with grittier, unfiltered feeds.
The attraction is clear: the majority of people in the world aren’t model influencers. They’re weirdos with weird interests and weird humour. Authenticity has always been a big buzzword among social media circles, but only in 2022 does it actually seem to be put to practise. Here are twenty ones to check out ASAP:
20. @Reremelnopclick
With only a handful of videos, this TikTok creator managed to catch the eye of Reddit with their menacing uploads. The content typically includes a blank female mannequin posing to the sound of spoken word conspiracies. There’s a lot of flashing and jerky editing. One video, a robotic voice apparently predicts what some call the “cyber PLANdemic” and war back in 2021.
The translation is as follows: “Red light, green light” “You are welcome, and you are not” “We see, we feel” “Don’t we?” “Count the numbers high and low” “Do it so with a mighty curve” “Make us feel and sweat” “We are the ones you have not met” “Let me in or keep me out” “The numbers are the ones who decide” “Are we going to let this happen? Do you see it?” “Or do you chose to blindfold yourself and others” “But don’t be afraid” “Keep it close or far away” “Let it feel” “Prepare yourself for the war”
Flashing subliminal/hidden messages translate to: “It is coming” “Be ready for it” “Cyber PLANdemic” “They will shut down the internet” “Don’t be afraid” “They are going to make a new internet” “Don’t trust it or use it” “Its coming” “Trust no one” “Its coming” “The inner internet is coming” “Its coming”
One to keep a firm eye on.
19. @roberthamill
Strange TikTok account I found while scrolling my FYP. Guy seems to be almost talking to himself in his comments with an occasional reply from another private user account. The hell is this? The video I saw was the one of him in the dark, Creeped the hell out of me.
The guy made a video reply to a comment he made on that girl’s video thinking that this is how you talk to people on tiktok, there is someone who commented that she isn’t interested in him but just wants followers and then the girl replied to that dude telling him off.
A quick search on the girl’s username, you can find her on instagram with 230k followers, so she has amassed a decent following, she has a collab with someone else called Andrea, and they have a Tiktok together with 150k followers, you can find that on the link tree thing on their shared Instagram.
So in conclusion, the girl is a fake account, likely catfishing followers and perhaps money too, “she” doesn’t seem to talk proper English, but yeah, that’s just a case of someone who’s not English catfishing someone who doesn’t seem to understand technology very well.
18. @Samikry1234
Lip syncing shouldn’t be so strange given its what 99% of TikTok was built on, but certain users have noticed something a little off about @Samikry1234. Something almost creepy.
Every one of her videos is the exact same location and shot. The lip syncing, sloppy. The glares, intense. The make up, not exactly conservative. The music she usually lip syncs to is pop music and the occasional child-friendly track. @Samikry1234 is immensely popular granted this bad press she gets. With 153k followers and 5 million likes she must be doing something right. Maybe just cool it with the facial expressions.
17. @Dgjiqmeqnest
Foodie content is huge on social media. And it can often do a lot of good. Research at Aston University’s College of Health and Life Sciences found that study participants who viewed highly-liked Instagram posts of fruit and vegetables ate a significantly higher proportion of grapes than cookies, with consumption of grapes increasing by 14 per cent more calories.
Then there’s the other, less spoken about side of food content. The gross kind. The chewing raw red meat kind. The @Dgjiqmeqnest kind. DG (let’s call him DG for short) is a Russian TikTok sensation for all the wrong reasons. Across his content, he is shown making awful looking grub in the most squalid looking kitchen. 1.5 million followers enjoy this stuff. Maybe you will too.
16. @R33VO
Don’t be put off by the Guy Fawkes mask profile picture, R33vo is a big time name among the conspiracy community. With 610k followers and 7.4 million likes, he’s one of TikTok’s most successful theorists, regardless of whether his takes are insane or legit.
One video focuses on a cabinet store called MATRIX LLC which has an employee car park for US Arcades, a company which makes adult-themed video booths. One day, while out and about, R33vo saw a children’s toy truck turn up to that very car park, raising a whole bunch of questions too dark to get into here. Basically there’s a lot of child trafficking stuff on there.
15. @ashurgharavi
This #weirdcore creator has amassed 39.9 million likes thanks to his often inane, sometimes creepy content.
Ashurgharavi likes to create horror characters, such as Balloon Man. “The Balloon man lives alone and blows balloons,” one narration says. “Sometimes he fills them with small stones or flowers. Unfortunately they need a soul to float. In the cold months, if a young person is walking home, they might meet him. But that balloon is a target. And at any time, he’ll collect his prize.” Match this robotic prose with visuals of the actual balloon man and you’ve got one bizarre but entertaining TikTok on your hands.
14. @everyslice
My word. You think we’ve run out of content, that everything there is to say or do has been said and done. Then you open TikTok and see a guy slicing bread only to see how long it takes for it to fall over.
@everyslice takes a bread knife to a crunchy, sturdy (or is it?) loaf, cuts a slice the width of a shortish paperback and steps back, awaiting its destiny. Will it fall? If it does, how long will it take? Five seconds, five minutes? Five hours? We won’t tell you the average time because that would rob you of the joy of finding out. Take our word for it, hit up @everyslice and thank us later.
13. @khaby.lame
Senegalese-born Khaby Lame is known for his TikTok videos in which he mocks overly complicated life hacks. And he does all of this… without talking. That’s right, Khaby has achieved enormous success without uttering a single peep.
After being laid off during the pandemic, Lame took to TikTok. He rose to popularity with his video responses in the form of TikTok’s “duet” and “stitch” features in which he performs the convalted hacks in a simple way. In April 2021, he surpassed Gianluca Vacchi as the most-followed Italian TikToker, and, in July 2021, he surpassed Addison Rae to become the second most-followed TikToker
12. @sittingandsmiilling
This creator does what she says on the tin. She sits and smiles and, naturally, it’s unnerving as fuck.
It says a lot about our engrained cynicism after a decade-plus of online toxicity that a harmless woman posting content in which she sits and smiles is seen as an affront to society. Seriously, though, watch these videos. Some believe she’s been kidnapped and these videos are a (silent) cry for help. Maybe she hasn’t been kidnapped and is just insane. Maybe she’s not insane and just likes smiling. And sitting. Maybe if it weren’t for The Man we would all be sat smiling, leading better, simpler lives.
11. @bonskinny
Bonskinny, or Bonnie, was believed to be a hoax account when she first came about. Then it became clear she was just someone who likes to post content in a terrifying mask doing terrifying things.
No one has seen Bonnie’s face. All she does is listen to the invisible Mr Man who forces her to do tasks she doesn’t wanna do, like twerking. Truly terrifying.
10. IAMTHEFLESHGOD
The name promises a lot, doesn’t it? There’s no way you don’t click on it. Over at @iamthefleshgod, the Flesh God eats the sort of things the rest of us spend our lives actively avoiding. We’re talking about raw meat. Raw everything, really. The Flesh God – sometimes topless, sometimes sporting a Lakers jersey – tucks into these forbidden fruits like it’s no big deal. Like he hasn’t eaten in days. And it’s a sight to behold.
While the rest of the online world plugs branded water, turmeric smoothies and kale, the Flesh God devours what he hashtags as a #primaldiet or #zombiediet. In one video, he can be seen eating “raw brains” from a jar. Is it healthy? Hmm. “Contrary to the claims of many raw food fans,” Kathleen Selman MPH writes, “cooking does not make food toxic but instead makes some foods digestible. Cooking also boosts some nutrients, like beta-carotene and lycopene, and kills bacteria, which helps you avoid food poisoning. There is no scientific evidence that raw foods prevent illness.” Okay so, healthy? Probably not. Entertaining? Very.
9. Savanah Moss
Conventionally good-looking women acting quirky is a social media trope as old as social media tropes. But if Savanah Moss was to ever utter the phrase “I’m not like other girls,” you’d understand why. Her videos are both actually funny and completely baffling. It’s hard to pin her down or give her a specific label, as the content she throws out is so varied and chaotic.
We can say this with certainty though: her following is massive. Moss boasts 9.2 million fans and a total of 178.3 million views. Like we said, there’s no way of explaining Moss’ videos in plain old black and white. You have to see them for yourself, and you should. Right now. Unless you’re busy. Actually, even if you’re busy. Drop what you’re doing and go watch.
8. Jan Erichsen
Thinking of inviting Jan Erichsen to your child’s birthday party? Think again. This guy will turn up with a plethora of medieval-looking weaponry and use them to pop every balloon in sight, in the most drastic, Rube Goldberg-way possible. The children will cry and you will have to answer for it. Jan Erichsen won’t care. He’ll already be out the door. This is just another day at the office.
Instead, enjoy him from distance through his TikTok account, where he does all of the above mentioned (minus the children). Watch on mute if you don’t enjoy loud noises.
7. @Trippyvideos101
According to @trippyvideos101’s TikTok bio, they “do not glorify the use of drugs”. They do however offer the relaxing, jaw-dropping stimuli sometimes sought out by those who do take hallucinogenic drugs.
You don’t really have be under the influence of anything to understand why these videos might space you out if you were. They’re fluorescent and undefinable a lot of the time, like some real-time MC Escher painting. Up is down, down is up, right is left, left is right. You’d think this degree of distortion would be hell on earth but it’s pretty chill, especially with the sleepy piano backing music.
6. Shortest Blockbusters
Over at @shortestblockbusters they make short blockbusters – arguably the shortest. So that’s a good start. Now, a lot of these things aren’t Marvel fodder: they draw more on imaginary creatures and desolate landscapes. In one video, a group of alien-looking droids drop from the sky to surround you in a burning forest. In another, a giant severed hand crawls through a neighbourhood at night followed by a gang of giant eyeballs. Pass the popcorn!
Not to get all Rotten Tomatoes on you, but the art direction at play here is pretty astonishing and well worth your time, regardless of whether horror is up your street.
5. @GassyMumma
It’s odd. We all fart. We all find it funny. But when social media users decide to base content entirely around it, people suddenly get precious. They begin making out like they don’t like it or ever do it. Remember that guy who filmed all his farts while working that reception job, then got sacked? Tell me his employers didn’t enjoy his video.
@Gassymumma may have a humble 19.8k following on TikTok but her total views stand at 384.3k. How? Her content is consistent. She doesn’t stray or promote naff products (not that any conglomerates are likely to be knocking at her door). Gassy Mumma stands in her kitchen and farts. That’s it. That’s what’s up. Sometimes it’s one fart, sometimes two. Sometimes it resembles internet dial-up noises. Whichever you come across, it’ll make you smile… or throw up.
4. @Mr_yabatan
To a lot of westerners, everyday Japanese life can be a huge culture shock. In one house, you’ll find elderly people adhering to traditions that go back several millennia. In the next, someone will have a fridge that can tell you the exact date and time you’re going to die. It’s a ride, alright.
No one seems to appreciate this more than Yabatan, whose videos are almost always in Japanese and delivered with anime-style intonation. In them, he shares the fruits of Japanese eccentricity, from toilets to cuisine. 1.6 million followers can’t be wrong.
3. @Drpimplepopper
She runs the game, doesn’t she, Dr Sandra Lee? For years now, hopping between YouTube, Instagram and now TikTok, she has entertained the curious masses more than any other in the trade. That trade is pimple popping.
15.4 million followers tune in to see the latest footage from Sandra’s office as she frees patient after patient of facial pus. We’d love to describe a few videos for you, but it’s not really necessary. We all know the setup and we all know the payoff. For those that don’t, where have you been? What are you waiting for?
2. @Preppyclaws
Okay, some TikTok accounts are still all about dance routines. But this one’s slightly different. Preppy Claws answers the question: “What if you combined modern dance with a Halloween costume?” Wait, Michael Jackson did that didn’t he? Okay, “What if you combine TikTok dancing with a Halloween costume?”
Whether they’re dancing in a snowy forest or in their house, there’s no dog in the fight for Preppy Claws. It’s just good vibes contradicted by a terrifying mask. Such is the influence of Preppy Claws, they’ve even inspired a copycat (who branches out even more on the locations). That’s a tune we can all dance to.
1. @Cookingwithcrime
True crime may whet the appetite of your morbid curiosity, but it doesn’t whet your actual appetite. That is, unless you’re the visionary behind @Cookingwithcrime or any of her 240.6k followers.
@Cookingwithcrime combines a mukbang with true crime. In case you don’t know what a mukbang is, it’s a proven formula for any content creator. To do a mukbang is to eat large amounts of junk food while talking to the camera. It could be a ramble, or an interview, or just ASMR mouth sounds alone. The point is, they’re popular, and so are stories of real-life murder. Naturally it makes sense to eat triple-decker cheeseburgers while piecing together a homicide that occurred in 1996.
