Internet Folklore

“TikTok Dances”

DF

Quechee, Vermont, United States of America

November 2020

Informant data: DF was born on March 23, 1999, in Redondo Beach, California, where he was raised. He is 21 years old and a senior at Dartmouth College majoring in Cognitive Science and minoring in Human Centered Design. He currently resides in Quechee, Vermont.

Contextual data: DF is an avid TikTok user and occasionally videos; he currently has 22 videos and 2,160 likes on the app. He is familiar with many TikTok dancers, including Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, and Dixie D’Amelio. DF knows the entire “Renegade” dance and learned it with a friend by watching TikTok videos and a tutorial. He is familiar with the dance and music for “Laxed Siren Beat,” but did not know the name of the song. DF knows how to do pieces of this song’s choreography, particularly the beginning of the dance. He also knows the choreography for parts of the “Say So” dance. For both “Laxed Siren Beat” and “Say So,” he learned these dance moves by watching videos on his “For You Page.” 

DF has learned multiple things from TikTok, including these dances, interesting websites, and iPhone photography tips. He believes that TikTok is pervasive in society today and is similar to a previous short-video sharing platform called “Vine.” TikTok is a conversation among his friends and they frequently make references to the app in humorous ways. 

CM

Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America

Dartmouth College

RUSS 13 Fall 2020

Internet Folklore

“TikTok Dances”

HE

Hanover, New Hampshire

November 2020

Informant data: HE was born on June 18, 1999, in New York City, New York. She resided in New York City until the age of 8 when she moved to Charlottesville, Virginia. HE is 21 years old and a senior at Dartmouth College studying History and Spanish. She currently resides in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Contextual data: HE has downloaded the TikTok app but has not posted on her account. HE learned the dance to “Laxed Siren Beat” by watching videos of the dance and observing her younger brother dance it throughout their house. HE’s brother taught her the dances to “Say So” and “Savage” as well. HE has performed the “Savage” dance with her brother, mother, and sister. HE only knows pieces of the “Renegade” dance because she did not have enough time to devote to learning the choreography. 

HE believes that TikTok and its trends are influential and noted that the most popular songs at the moment are popular TikTok songs. She noted that TikTok has impacted the way people dance and she is also familiar with Charli D’Amelio. Finally, HE discussed how she references TikTok in conversations with friends outside of the app and she believes the platform is very important in today’s society.

CM

Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America

Dartmouth College

RUSS 13 Fall 2020

Internet Folklore

“TikTok Dances”

JO

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America

October 2020

Informant data: JO was born on January 25, 2000, in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he grew up and currently resides. He is 20 years old and a junior at Dartmouth College studying Cognitive Science. JO is interested in comedy and film, and had a popular YouTube channel in high school that he continued to use through his first year of college. 

Contextual data: JO is an active TikTok user, amassing over 920,000 likes and 5 million views. He is familiar with Charli D’Amelio but no other TikTok dancers in particular. JO is familiar with the dance to “Laxed Siren Beat” and made a video on the platform criticizing how teenagers have sexualized this dance. While JO has not learned the dances to “Say So,” “Renegade,” “Savage,” or “Laxed Siren Beat,” he is familiar with all of these dances and they have all appeared on his “For You Page.” 

JO is more interested in visual comedy and enjoys watching short form versions of this on the app. JO believes that TikTok is pervasive in its impact on culture and noted how songs such as “Roxanne,” “WAP,” and “Laxed Siren Beat” have topped the music charts. In his opinion, historically internet dance challenges have not been as popular as these TikTok dances because the app provides a platform for them to thrive.

CM

Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America

Dartmouth College

RUSS 13 Fall 2020