“Elite TikTok” is full of teens “pretending” to be brands. As several corporations face a reckoning during the current climate, TikTok users are “posturing” as retail stores and popular brands. Many users also refer to “Elite TikTok” as “Alt TikTok” or even “Retail TikTok.” Members of the group share the same interests of beans, frogs, fairy-speak, Elmo edits, and self-referential jokes. Several accounts (like @BurgerKingRetail, @walmart.department.store, @Swiffer_Official, and many more) use personified brand accounts to act out story lines, post comedy videos, participate in viral challenges and memes using “strange audio” tracks, and add lip and eye emojis to storefronts and logos to create a face. When asked the reason behind starting these types of accounts, many of the creators say it’s just a “fun creative exercise” to get into, especially during quarantine. (NYTimes)
