Covid and Pop Culture

Although this pandemic is not the first to ever exist, it is one of the first to exist during a time where communication and social media is so widely used. And since social media has become the center of many's lives, it is no shocker that social media has influenced how some have viewed Covid-19. At the very beginning of covid, many of my peers (18-21) took part in creating covid memes. These memes took form on many apps such as Instagram, Twitter, but most popular, TikTok. The TikTok community made many of these video clips making fun of quarantine or covid, many of which went viral and would get up to a million likes. An example of some popular covid TikToks can be seen here. Most of these videos are of people who are overdramatizing covid by wearing hazmat suits around the house alone or joking about the scarcity of toilet paper or cleaning products. These videos, especially during the beginning of quarantine, have brought light to such a sensitive and serious topic, which has allowed for many of my peers to relax in the midst of all the stresses covid has brought on. Also, I believe that these TikToks that have been made regarding coronavirus have been a coping mechanism for my generation. Since most of my peers (including myself) have had major life events canceled such as high school or college graduation, being able to laugh about covid and in a way make fun of it is a way to deal with the emotional trauma that covid has left people with. 

Another Tik Tok example that has originated outside of the US is the "ghen cô vy" TikTok. This dance, originated from a popular Vietnamese pop song "Ghen" became a "dance challenge" on TikTok which encouraged people to wash their hands properly and often. This dance was created by two Vietnamese TikTok influencers who go by the name Quang Dang. This is yet another example of how popular culture and social media have taken topics regarding Covid-19 and brought light to them.