TikTokers Are Answering Increasingly Specific Frequently Asked Questions

The latest trend on TikTok is a hand jive that accompanies answers to questions that you get asked frequently. Some of the kinds of questions that people are answering strain the definition of the word "frequently."

"The Magic Bomb" by Hoang Read is the current top sound on TikTok, which makes perfect sense because it slaps. It's not surprising that it's accompanying a dance trend, but the thing that's made it go viral isn't the dance itself. As you do that dance, timed to the song's pounding beat, TikTokers add text to the screen answering questions they say that people ask them all the time about their identities or lifestyles. Most of the time, these are lighthearted questions, giving the whole trend the vibe of getting to know the other campers at sleep away camp. 

In general, the trend is a chance for people to clear the air, or to answer things you may be curious about without having to derail their other content or conversations to do so. Many people from marginalized communities, like queer and disabled people, are happily hand jiving while explaining how their lives work. Being able to voluntarily answer questions, sometimes with unserious answers that expose the offensiveness of the question, allows marginalized people to take control over the aggressive questioning that's often thrust upon them.

As the trend goes on and grows in popularity, people are finding more and more specific aspects of their identity that they'd like to answer questions about. Serious or not, self proclaimed members of the "Minecraft adult" community, the young step parent community, the… gay medical professional who are in a relationship with each other community, and the lady with a chip in their hand community are also answering questions you may have about their lives.

Clearly there's nothing wrong with having a chip in your hand, living with your parents, being two gay medical professionals in a relationship, getting into a relationship with someone who already has kids, or even playing Minecraft as an adult. The idea of being open about these aspects of your life is to reduce the stigma around them. Although I don't think these rich kids' lives are stigmatized, it's refreshing to see people be so honest about themselves without much defensiveness. It's just fascinating to see what kind of weird questions plague these peopleㅡand to also know what not to ask them.