For anyone with a TikTok account, it is no secret how the social media platform knows and produces all the latest trends and news first. The creativity and 15 seconds to 1-minute posts can spread news like wildfire, but is it always true is the question.
Previously on TikTok, there was a creator who made an entire conspiracy theory that Kanye West was cheating on Kim Kardashian with Jeffree Star, and the famous celebrity couple was getting a divorce because of that. After blowing up and trending on almost every news platform in less than 24 hours, the creator said she made it all up as a lie and never expected it to get the attention it did.
The latest TikTok trend and conspiracy circling the famous platform is a drama-packed love triangle between High School Musical The Series stars due to Olivia Rodrigo’s latest release of her single Drivers License. It is rumored to be about her co-star Joshua Bassett getting into a new relationship with “that blonde girl” Sabrina Carpenter. Once again in less than 24 hours, the song blew up and conspiracies, comparisons, and edits flowed the for you page. Later that week Joshua Bassett released a song to continue the drama as there was speculation who that was about, and then the latest was Sabrina Carpenter releasing a song including lyrics “maybe blonde was the only rhyme”, which left TikTokers circling right back into the drama of this love triangle.
Speculation around Disney being behind the entire publicity stunt has just intrigued more to continue to stream and follow the Disney stars and ultimately bring in the attention and the money.
From a PR standpoint, one must consider the strength of this social media platform and if TikTok should be a go-to or a no way in regards to promotion. Tiktok is one of the biggest platforms right now and almost everyone is on it. It targets all audiences as it is a way to create a personal brand, promote one, or just simply be creative and speak out. There are endless opportunities and I believe public relations will take advantage of the strength of this app. Strategically planning publicity stunts, influencer collaborations, or new releases could benefit from TikTok.
It seems that everyone tends to believe what they see on Tiktok which could be an extreme benefit or drawback for a PR professional. The blow-ups the app has experienced stress that for the future of PR will include extreme damage control or extreme satisfaction. I believe this is the future of public relations and should be a major focus in the famous four steps of the PR process.
I really loved your take on how PR practitioners should be utilizing Tik Tok to their advantage. It was very interesting to hear your thoughts on what people should do when using this platform and I definitely agree.
I am one of those people that has been following both of those stories on TikTok, and not even purposefully. The FYP is so interesting when considering the algorithm and how certain videos and sounds get targeted to certain people. TikTok has emerged as a standout social media platform. I saw recently that someone was convicted of a murder because the story went so viral on the app.
I do wonder what will become of the app and how they will stay relevant within the years to come. Will it be similar to Vine and fizzle out?
When I first heard about the song and “drama” behind it, I immediately listened and looked more into Olivia Rodrigo because frankly, I had no idea who she was. Regardless of it is was a PR stunt or not, people are bound to listen and look into the drama when it’s being discussed on TikTok. Tiktok is definitely a slippery slope and could be potentially amazing or detrimental to someone’s career.