A teenage TikTok user looks so much like Ariana Grande that fans are having a hard time telling them apart. 

“I  just know Ariana is terrified…” an Ariana Grande stan account tweeted, along with a TikTok video of the teen impersonating Grande.

I just know Ariana is terrified... pic.twitter.com/yOdYniNGjN

— fan account (@knnewagb) November 22, 2019

The doppelgänger, Paige Niemann, has become an internet sensation for posting videos and photos of her wearing her hair and makeup like Grande’s—and bearing an uncanny resemblance to the singer. Niemann even recreated two of Grande’s album covers. 

View this post on Instagram

Recreated Ariana’s sweetener album cover what’s your favorite song from sweetener? #arianagrande #arianator #sweetener #makeup

A post shared by ♡ 𝒫𝒶𝒾𝑔𝑒 ♡ (@paigeniemann) on Jul 7, 2019 at 10:53am PDT

View this post on Instagram

#tb to when I recreated Ariana’s thank u, next album cover Creds to @eithanedir for making this #arianator #makeup #cosplay #inspired #arianastyle #sweetener #thankunext

A post shared by ♡ 𝒫𝒶𝒾𝑔𝑒 ♡ (@paigeniemann) on Nov 3, 2019 at 9:25am PST

According to the Daily Mail, Niemann, 14, was first compared to the singer when she was just 10 years old. She has amassed more than 10 million TikTok followers throughout the years, given her striking similarities to the singer.

Niemann—who lives in California—began watching YouTube videos to learn how to do her hair and makeup like Grande’s. The teen chalks up their similar resemblance to the fact that both she and Grande are Italian-American. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5NzsNcnhgL/?hl=en

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) on Jun 18, 2019 at 10:04am PDT

View this post on Instagram

I had so much fun recreating Ariana’s version of Bring it on! #arianagrande #arianator #thankunext #makeup #bringiton

A post shared by ♡ 𝒫𝒶𝒾𝑔𝑒 ♡ (@paigeniemann) on Jun 23, 2019 at 8:35am PDT

View this post on Instagram

that’s all for today .... thank u, next

A post shared by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) on Nov 21, 2018 at 12:00pm PST

Of course, the internet is freaking out. 

“i just discovered that ariana lookalike from tik tok and now i’m scared……but also lowkey jealous,” Twitter user @undopaige wrote.

Others unearthed Niemann’s older videos, in which she looks much less like Grande. 

“The change to her is crazy,” Twitter user @kyananzu wrote.

i just discovered that ariana lookalike from tik tok and now i’m scared......but also lowkey jealous

— paige (@undopaige) November 23, 2019

The change to her is crazy — pic.twitter.com/S5zzwTnw1e

— Kyana (@kyananzu) November 23, 2019

Ur telling me this is a lookalike and NOT the ACTUAL ariana? Ok pic.twitter.com/0G35c1xPbB

— yves☆彡 (@yvesaintanic) November 24, 2019

This is not Ariana?.. It’s a 14 year old lookalike... Sway, how?.. https://t.co/pzzDeoXRCS

— T.J. Suire (@TJSuire) November 24, 2019

Even Grande weighed in on Niemann’s video—saying the use of Cat’s voice (from the Nickelodeon show Victorious Grande starred in) coupled with Grande’s current appearance was “bizarre” to see.

“i just wonder whyyyy the cat voice / dialogue,” she tweeted. “i am sure she is the sweetest sweet sweetheart forreal !! but it’s definitley bizarre seeing people blend the two worlds lmao.”

i just wonder whyyyy the cat voice / dialogue. i am sure she is the sweetest sweet sweetheart forreal !! but it’s definitley bizarre seeing people blend the two worlds lmao.

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) November 24, 2019

Niemann says she’s received hate for mimicking Grande’s look but isn’t letting internet trolls keep her down. Plus, she’s not the only person whose looks have been compared to Grande’s.

“I don’t care what haters say,” Niemann told Dazed in February. “I’m just going to keep on doing what makes me happy, and looking like Ariana makes me happy.”

READ MORE: 

• Internet freaked by TikTok teen who looks just like two ‘Victorious’ castmates combined
• Art director says Ariana Grande’s Halloween video looks ‘exactly like’ her work
• Ariana Grande’s ‘Twilight Zone’ Halloween costume is freaking people out

H/T BuzzFeed

The post This TikTok teen looks exactly like Ariana Grande–and fans are terrified appeared first on The Daily Dot.

Teens are obsessed with the song “Candy” by Doja Cat after a dance competition to the song went viral on TikTok recently.

TikTok users have uploaded about 3 million videos with the song. Most of the videos are teens dancing to some version of the same choreography. (If you’re wanting to upload your own Doja Cat TikTok video, don’t worry—there are already YouTube tutorials.)

Then, of course, there are the meme-like versions to the dance competition videos.

Yo @DojaCat hit me up when you need that music video extra. I gotcha #tiktok pic.twitter.com/VONX8e9Q2M

— TheUglyDad (@TheUglyDad) November 12, 2019

“Candy,” which has been all the hype on TikTok for the last couple weeks, was released in 2018.

Doja Cat is an up-and-coming rapper and singer, but this isn’t the first time that one of the newbie’s songs has gone viral. In 2018, she released a meme song called “Mooo!” Twitter loved the farm-themed video and song, which included lyrics like “Bitch I’m a cow / I’m not a cat / I don’t say meow.”

Stars like Katy Perry and Chance the Rapper praised her for the hit, helping the song rack up nearly 60 million views on YouTube.

In the last couple of months, Doja Cat has become more commercially popular. In August, she released her single “Juicy,” which reached No. 47 on the Billboard’s charts. It was the first time that one of her songs hit the charts. She also released a remix of the song that included the rapper Tyga.

Earlier this month, Doja Cat released her second studio album Hot Pink. The album is No. 19 on this week’s Billboard’s album charts.

READ MORE:

• Doja Cat already seems determined to distance herself from ‘Mooo!’
• This TikTok teen looks exactly like Ariana Grande–and fans are terrified
• The U.S. Army is reevaluating its use of TikTok after security concerns

The post Teens on TikTok are obsessed with Doja Cat’s ‘Candy’ appeared first on The Daily Dot.

For better or for worse, Thanksgiving no longer passes without a social media feed full of #friendsgiving photos. But this year, a group of New Yorkers redefined conventional Thanksgiving by hosting their feast on the subway.

A TikTok shared on Twitter by @MickeyG77 on Monday shows a packed L train car with riders surrounding a dinner table. The meal hits all of the stops with green bean casserole, mac and cheese, and even a decorative tablecloth. One woman behind the table serves up the Thanksgiving staples.

“Showtime! Showtime!” @MickeyG77 tweeted with the video. The account that originally posted the TikTok appears to have been deleted.

Showtime! Showtime! pic.twitter.com/qE2DTkWBM3

— Michael Goldstein (@MickeyG77) November 25, 2019

On Twitter, commenters loved the clip.

“Only New Yorkers could make a 2×8 ft Thanksgiving spread for 250 (subway car capacity) and still make room for others. Bless,” @ramonctaylor tweeted.

The MTA allows eating on trains but blockage of the pathway caused by the Thanksgiving feast would likely be prohibited by police. Cuomo recently issued 500 extra police officers to patrol the subway system to combat a “rise in crime,” according to the New York Times. There were no signs of police intervention in the TikTok video.

READ MORE: 

• Homophobic mom’s ‘super-secret’ meatloaf recipe blasted online by her revengeful, gay kid
• This former stripper has the best Humans of New York story of all time
• People are crushed that this teen love story might be a TikTok ‘joke’

The post These people packed a Thanksgiving feast into a subway car appeared first on The Daily Dot.

Another week, another TikTok challenge. This latest trend will bring out your inner magician.

Tori Pareno, a Los Angeles-based content creator, posted a TikTok video that creates an optical illusion to appear as if her hands are magically passing through one another.

“Here’s something trippy for your night lol,” the 19-year-old wrote to Twitter on Thursday with the TikTok video.

here’s something trippy for your night lol pic.twitter.com/lkcX25mgri

— LG Tori Pareno (@ToriPareno) November 21, 2019

In the eight-second video, Pareno quickly moves her fingers to the beat of a dubstep song. At the end of the video, her face explodes with excitement at her accomplishment.

In the four days since she posted the video, it has reached more than 8.7 million views and has been shared more than 174,000 times.

After her video went viral, others tried to do the same “trippy” hand challenge.

This is fun pic.twitter.com/rNivts8FXE

— B (@Rjeyyy_Bil) November 22, 2019

This guy took it to the next level and created the hand illusion wearing LED gloves.

i did ur thing but with LED gloves :^) pic.twitter.com/yh1jGlEXp9

— The Lightshow Hashira (@JomarriSalomon) November 22, 2019

However, it wasn’t as easy as Pareno made it look.

bruh pic.twitter.com/XVnAsoSpbP

— YBN NAHMIR (@YBNNahmir) November 22, 2019

Me right now pic.twitter.com/b5TnWuwWNy

— The Calm and The Crazed EP (@CalebSamuel) November 22, 2019

Some people jokingly called the trick “witchcraft” or “sorcery.”

What in the witchcraft sorcery tarnation is going on here? pic.twitter.com/50aFe6ADwH

— Michael (@HazerMikey) November 21, 2019

Pareno tweeted that it was “creepy but cool” that people had viewed her hands “half a million”– now millions– of times. She has dubbed herself “the hand lady.”

READ MORE:

• Teens on TikTok are obsessed with Doja Cat’s ‘Candy’
• This TikTok teen looks exactly like Ariana Grande–and fans are terrified
• The U.S. Army is reevaluating its use of TikTok after security concerns

The post The ‘trippy’ TikTok hand challenge looks like magic appeared first on The Daily Dot.

TikTok suspended a Muslim teen’s account after her video series on Chinese internment camps went viral, according to Business Insider.

The videos, which are masked as makeup tutorials, were posted by 17-year-old Feroza Aziz under the username @getmefamouspartthree.

One of the videos in question starts off as a “how to get long lashes” tutorial.

“So the first thing you need to do is grab your lash curler, curl your lashes, obviously, then you’re going to put them down and use your phone that you’re using right now to search up what’s happening in China, how they’re getting concentration camps, throwing innocent Muslims in there, separating their families from each other, kidnapping them, murdering them, raping them, forcing them to eat pork, forcing them to drink, forcing them to convert to different religions, if not, or else they’re going to, of course, get murdered,” Aziz says in the video.

While the videos remain on the platform, Aziz’s account has been suspended by TikTok.

A TikTok spokesperson told Business Insider that Aziz’s account was suspended because of an Osama bin Laden video she made on a separate account, not her China videos. She allegedly made a new account, which is where she posted the videos criticizing the Chinese government. It is against the platform’s rules to open another account after the previous one has been suspended, according to TikTok.

“TikTok does not moderate content due to political sensitivities,” the spokesperson told Business Insider. “In this case, the user’s previous account and associated device were banned after she posted a video of Osama Bin Laden, which is a violation of TikTok’s ban on promoting terrorists.”

In her latest videos, Aziz is referring to the detention of Uighur people, an ethnic, mainly Muslim group in Xinjiang, China. It is estimated that around 1 million Uighurs are being held in internment camps in China at the moment.

While TikTok claims that the suspension has nothing to do with political matters, the company is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. Chinese tech companies have a history of complying with orders from the government, according to Business Insider.

“I still find it suspicious that TikTok took down my video right when my posts on China’s concentration camps were made,” Aziz told BuzzFeed News. “Doesn’t sound right to me.”

The Daily Dot has reached out to TikTok and Feroza Aziz.

READ MORE:

• Everything you need to know about TikTok
• Everything you need to know to get started on TikTok
• Everyone’s obsessed with TikTok, but what do we know about its developer?

H/T Business Insider

The post TikTok denies suspending Muslim teen over Chinese internment camp videos appeared first on The Daily Dot.

Business is evolving, and more careers exist completely online. As a result, the way businesses approach the internet is changing. Websites and apps like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok dominate most conversations, and advertisers and brands are noticing. Influencers working to expand their reach are searching for better ways to utilize their accounts, and sometimes they need outside help.

That’s where IgFace for TikTok, Instagram, and more comes in. The self-billed “marketing analytics tool” aims to provide an internet-specific service to influencers around the globe.

What is IgFace?

IgFace is a new tool, so many questions linger. The idea behind the website is to assist influencers, as well as marketers and brands, in improving their products and expanding their reach. Rather than take to a dozen different sites to review analytics, calculate follower numbers, and audit pages, IgFace aims to combine all the tools you need in one location.

The site promises to “provide intelligent and comprehensive analytics tools for any influencer marketing campaign.” It offers social media bloggers and brands a variety of services including audits, analytics, and calculators. Importantly, the site also aggregates media agencies and top bloggers in one easy-to-find spot.

IgFace for TikTok

IgFace breaks up its tools into categories based on which platform you’re working with. If you are looking to expand your reach as a TikTok influencer, there is a specific section just for you. The site provides a money calculator, which helps users learn how much money they can make on TikTok and examine other TikTok influencer’s incomes.

Unfortunately, the majority of IgFace’s tools require users to have at least 1,000 followers. The calculator struggled to locate even the most prominent TikTok accounts, from Zach King to Loren Gray. The calculator intends to show influencers what kind of engagement their TikTok videos are getting so they can better market to their base. Then, theoretically, they can create better content based on what their audience wants to see. Unfortunately, until IgFace manages work out the kinks, this tool is quite ineffective.

IgFace for Instagram and Twitch

IgFace also has tools for websites other than TikTok, including Instagram, Twitch, and YouTube.

For Instagram, the site offers a calculator that it claims can “analyze Instagram accounts for fake followers” as well as for engagement rates and earnings evaluations. It also offers an Instagram audit, which allows users to examine top influencers’ accounts and learn from their approach. Considering Instagram is essentially in the name of the page—”Ig” almost certainly points to the popular website—it’s not surprising that the majority of tools are for use on the photo- and video-sharing site. The final Instagram tool generates popular hashtags that you can use in posts.

For Twitch, the site offers only one tool. Like TikTok and Instagram, IgFace offers a Twitch calculator. Twitch users can use it to determine how much money they can make on the site and to examine top accounts.

We must note, however, that several attempts at using most of these tools failed. Unless you are searching for the top influencers on each site, the tools seem ineffective. Considering these tools are theoretically aimed at up-and-comers, why not allow them to examine their own accounts?

IgFace for YouTube

For YouTube, IgFace provides a money calculator, similar to the TikTok calculator, and a live subscriber count. Thankfully, the YouTube subscriber count managed to function as intended.

As I have no real YouTube following, I went the easy route and put in the YouTube name for one of the top accounts on the site. IgFace informed me that PewDiePie’s account has 102 million subscribers, a fact that his YouTube page confirms. Therefore, I’m not sure what the purpose of the tool really is. The same can be said for the Twitch tool, which does work but ultimately gives the same information you can find on the Twitch website.

Advertisers and brands

IgFace seems like it is intended, more than anything, for marketing agencies, advertisers, and brands. The site provides free analytics tools and custom marketing tools to advertisers. It also offers an avenue to locate the top influencers and brands online, so ad agencies can use them to boost products.

The calculators, audits, and subscriber counts all make sense from a business perspective. Brands and companies want to know which influencers and sites are going to be most lucrative from an advertising angle. More brands are taking their marketing online, and as influencers’ reaches grow, it makes sense to utilize their popularity.

When it comes to examining your own account, however, this tool does not seem like the best approach. Stick to examining other, successful accounts on your own and honing your pages and niche. You can find success as an influencer online, but IgFace does not appear to be the path to online fame.

READ MORE:

• How to duet on TikTok
• How to add text on TikTok
• The best TikTok memes and challenges

The post What is IgFace for TikTok and how can you best use it? appeared first on The Daily Dot.

By now, most people are familiar with TikTok. The app skyrocketed to worldwide popularity in less than two years and only continues to grow. Using it is pretty simple, so even newcomers have likely figured out how to record and share videos. But what if you’d like to download TikTok videos to enjoy later?

It’s possible to do, both with and without the app. Here’s how to download TikTok videos on mobile and desktop.

How to download TikTok videos

Don’t let the app’s bells and whistles worry you. TikTok has a simple approach to downloading videos—your own and videos from your favorite creators.

Before we dive into the details, however, you’ll need to have the app. There are a few workarounds, which we’ll get into later, but the easiest and most reliable path to downloading a video is through the app itself.

Download TikTok videos directly from the app

Thankfully, TikTok doesn’t overcomplicate the process of downloading a video.

When it comes to your own videos, they automatically save to your device when you upload them to the app. The videos should appear in your gallery. If you want to download an old TikTok video from your account, just find the video and tap on the three dots in the bottom-right corner of the screen. You should see the option to save. Tap that, and the video will download to your device.

Downloading a video from another TikToker is nearly as simple. Just go into the app, sign into your account, and find the video you want to download. Then locate the share button—it looks like a curved arrow—in the bottom-right corner. That will give you a variety of sharing options, as well as the option to save the video to your device. If a user’s account or videos are private, however, you won’t have the option to save.

Download TikTok videos on desktop

While it isn’t as easy to download TikTok videos without the TikTok app, there are options.

TikTok does not allow downloads from its website, which means that to download TikToks on a desktop, you’re going to need a third-party website. One of the first websites to show up in a Google search may be tiktokvideodownload.com. Unfortunately, upon attempting to use this site myself, I was unable to download any TikToks.

However, tiktokdownloader.net is simple and worked flawlessly. All you need to do is visit the website and find the video you want to download. You should see a link at the bottom of your selected TikTok video, as well as the option to copy it. If not, you can copy the URL from the address bar at the top of your screen. Then, paste the link into the provided box and click “get video.” Assuming your link works, the site will then offer you the option to download the video with or without a watermark, or just as audio. Select which one you are interested in, and the video will save to your desktop.

Download TikTok videos as GIFs

Another fun option that TikTok provides is to download videos, or portions of videos, as GIFs. In the same row as the “save video” option, you’ll see the “share as GIF” option. Once selected, the app will even allow you to trim the video to your liking.

Once you’ve trimmed and adjusted the clip, just tap “generate” to save the GIF to your phone.

READ MORE:

• How to duet on TikTok
• The best TikTok memes and challenges
• How to add text on TikTok

The post How to download TikTok videos, with and without the app appeared first on The Daily Dot.

There’s an abundance of strange but thoroughly excellent content on TikTok, and the latest to arise is a video of a priest performing a baptism. It might not seem strange until you consider that the priest was baptizing… a “Baby Yoda” doll?

The video is pure, simple, and aggressively 2019. Everyone’s been cooing over Baby Yoda since The Mandalorian first unveiled the precious little ball of green, and the past few weeks have been chock-full of Baby Yoda themed videos, memes, and conversations. It’s no wonder, then, that the priest chose such the character for his charming TikTok.

It’s not the first foray into virality for Episcopal priest David W. Peters. In fact, Peters has enjoyed TikTok fame at least once before. His “Hot Priest Summer” video, in which Peters dons a number of traditional religious robes to La La Land‘s “Another Day of Sun,” put him on the map in August. He’s since turned his minor internet fame into a solid TikTok following.

The idea for the latest video appeared to begin with the toy itself. Peters uploaded a video of a child holding the Baby Yoda doll and wrote, “The Candidate for Holy Baptism will now be presented.” In the background, the Cantina song from Star Wars: A New Hope is playing in the background. In the baptism video, Peters opted for the classic Star Wars theme.

In the baptism video, which has accrued nearly 9,000 likes so far, Peters unveils the Baby Yoda from its concealment. Then he takes the doll into one arm, scoops holy water from a silver bowl onto baby Yoda’s head, and produces a candle to finish the ceremony. He cinches the whole thing with an inaudible “amen.”

Does this mean we’ll see Baby Yoda taking Holy Communion, too?

Update 12:56pm CT, Nov. 28: In a Twitter message to the Daily Dot, David W. Peters revealed the Yoda doll he baptized was actually an “Old Yoda” with “a haircut and dark eyes.” He also said that it’s common for seminary students to practice baptisms with dolls.

“This wasn’t a ‘real baptism’ just a bit of theater!” Peters said. “Baby yoda was wearing my son’s baptismal gown and that was my son’s candle for his baptism four years ago.”

Peters told the Daily Dot he was inspired to make the TikTok because he’s a “big Star Wars fan” and a “big baptism fan.”

“I do these things on Tiktok to connect the timeless truths of our faith with the next generation,” Peters said. “Social media is the new town square, and I think that’s a place the Church should be.”

READ MORE:

• The ‘trippy’ TikTok hand challenge looks like magic
• Teens on TikTok are obsessed with Doja Cat’s ‘Candy’
• This TikTok teen looks exactly like Ariana Grande–and fans are terrified

The post TikTok shows priest baptizing… a stuffed Baby Yoda? appeared first on The Daily Dot.

You may be familiar with Maia (also known by her online handle “mxmtoon”), the up-and-coming 19-year-old recording artist who recently released her debut album the masquerade back in September. The first single of the album, the ethereally gloomy pop track “Prom Dress,” became a near-instant hit, with the YouTube video amassing over six million views to date. And now, it’s become a sensation on TikTok—with a little help from Lil Jon.

Just two weeks after Maia released “Prom Dress” on Bandcamp, TikTok user @mattsmixtape uploaded the following clip, “mxmtoon-prom dress (feat. Lil Jon),” which mashes up the pop song with the rapper’s ubiquitous interjections of “yeah” “what,” and “okay.”

“@mxmtoon I really hope this actually makes you laugh and you don’t hate me for it,” he captioned the clip, in which his mood appears to improve by the end.

And it didn’t take long for Maia to notice. Just one day later, the singer-songwriter uploaded her own video to TikTok using the remixed “Prom Dress” track. “Thanks for the audio @mattsmixtape,” she wrote. In her version, Maia likewise transforms from unsure to exuberant by the conclusion of the short clip.

Eventually, others began sharing their own uploads set to the “Prom Dress,” which typically demonstrated the users receiving surprisingly positive reactions to serious news or insecurities. On Nov. 17, user @hayleybabbyofficial uploaded a version in which her boyfriend saw her for the first time without makeup and still loved her, facial scars and all.

Shortly after, user @arden_tayler shared an iteration of the “Prom Dress” TikTok in which she recalled telling her then-boyfriend of three months that she was pregnant at 19 years old. (Complete with a happy ending!)

The format has since gone viral (with over 22,000 uploads and counting) as others shared their own versions of the “Prom Dress” TikTok—involving everything from revealing heavy news to parents to overcoming insecurities and being accepted by peers and significant others.

You’d have to think Maia would only be pleased by the way “Prom Dress” is being interpreted by her young fans. “My album, the masquerade, is about my journey of growing up! About learning who I am, who I want to be, and the challengers along the way,” she said of her debut.

“But it’s not just for me, its also for you. The stories told are universal experiences, so listen along and find yourself within the lyrics.”

READ MORE:

• The ‘trippy’ TikTok hand challenge looks like magic
• Teens on TikTok are obsessed with Doja Cat’s ‘Candy’
• This TikTok teen looks exactly like Ariana Grande–and fans are terrified

The post This ‘Prom Dress’ Lil Jon remix on TikTok has become an anthem of positivity appeared first on The Daily Dot.

The newest TikTok challenge is absolutely baffling.

The chair challenge is taking over the social app, and not for the usual reasons. No one has injured themselves and there’s no catchy soundtrack, but there is definitely a catch: it seems only women can pull it off. It turns out women’s lower center of gravity, and perhaps our feet size, make us uniquely capable of pulling off the viral challenge.

The premise of the chair challenge is simple enough. You’ll need at least one woman and at least one man to try it out, along with a clear wall and a chair. Nothing fancy, a dining chair will do. Place the chair to the side and have the woman start. Place one foot against the base of the wall, and the toe of your other foot against your heel. Then back it up one more time, for a total of three foot-lengths back. Then place your feet side-by-side, and lean over to place the top of your head against the wall. Drag the chair underneath yourself, and pull it up to your chest. Then you just stand up straight, and the chair legs shouldn’t bump the wall.

Tried the tik tok chair challenge cause i thought it was fake...... #TikTok #ChairChallenge pic.twitter.com/5Nf5NYsMAt

— Izzy Sam (@SamTwizzy5) November 20, 2019

People are trying the chair challenge out, not necessarily because it is a thrilling internet challenge, but because for the most part, only women can pull it off. In nearly every video, the men attempting to stand with the held chair find themselves stuck with their heads against the wall. Considering how easy it is for the women to stand up—it’s quite simple, I tried—it is a strange and baffling thing to see.

Tried the chair challenge with @mazi_bishop pic.twitter.com/60fHhMJWUK

— Troyainor (@troyainor) November 26, 2019

One guy even managed to pull it off, much to the surprise of his female counterpart. It can be argued that his success had something to do with his height, but as plenty of tall women have managed to pull it off, who knows?

Why can’t men do the chair challenge?

It turns out, there is actually some science behind men’s inability to pull off the chair challenge. According to a blog post from science teacher Jeremy Johnson, the reason behind most men’s failure is their center of gravity. Johnson explains that “it’s all about the center of mass.” For most females, the center of gravity is lower. When women are leaned over the chair, therefore, their center of gravity tends to rest over their hips. Most men’s center of gravity ends up over the chair, which then makes it nearly impossible to stand.

Another scientist, however, disagrees. Professor Brian Ford of Cambridge University told the Sun that most men fail due to the size of their feet, rather than their center of gravity. “It is true that women have a lower centre of gravity than men, by several centimetres, but that has no bearing on this crafty little trick,” he said. “Men have longer feet than women. Two paces back for a man would be some 60cm, for a woman it’s more like 50cm. The man’s larger feet mean he is farther away from the wall than the woman, and is thus leaning forward. The woman’s legs are closer to the wall, and are thus leaning back.” He said this gives women an advantage in the challenge.

The post This TikTok ‘chair challenge’ works for women—but not for most men appeared first on The Daily Dot.

An 11-year-old Tennessee girl has been found safe after her mother reported her missing for leaving her home with another minor she met through TikTok, according to Fox40.

Lakeriya McNeil’s mother said her daughter left her home in Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday morning with a girl she met on the app, one adult male, and one adult female. 

Memphis Police said McNeil willingly left with the group, and McNeil’s mother said they left in a white car. For hours, her mother was unable to contact her. She was found unharmed later on that day. 

In the past, the popular short-form video app has come under scrutiny for not having restrictions in place for its underage users. In July, the U.K. launched an investigation on how the app, with more than a billion monthly users, mishandles children’s data.

READ MORE:

• TikTok denies suspending teen over Chinese internment camp videos
• The U.S. Army is reevaluating its use of TikTok after security concerns
• People risking concussions for new TikTok challenge 

H/T Fox40

The post Child found safe after disappearing with person she met on TikTok appeared first on The Daily Dot.

Breakout TikTok user Alex French hit one million followers this weekend—and she did it overnight.

The viral star is known for dancing and lip-syncing to music in her videos. She’s had the account since April but started posting regularly in November. In a video posted two days ago, French thanked her followers for getting her to the 300,000-follower landmark. She now has about 1.3 million.

She started gaining popularity after she posted a video compilation of her saying “hi” when she had a sore throat. People began making copies of the video. But whether TikTok users loved it or hated it, the video helped her gain fame and followers.

Although French is known for the dancing TikToks, she’s mostly known for her big smiles in the videos. French’s followers have told her that she looks like Katie from the Horton Hears a Who! movie. She’s made videos where she shows their likeness.

TikTok is the fastest growing social media platform and has 500 million active users worldwide, according to Oberlo. But despite the popularity of the app, French’s growth, in such a short time period, is surprising.

Taylor Lorenz, a New York Times journalist who reports on the internet, tweeted that French’s growth outpaced Charli D’Amelio, who is a TikTok star also known for her dancing videos.

A girl names Alex French is blowing up on TikTok right now outpacing Charli’s growth. She’s about to hit 1M followers in under 24 hours. Currently at 859.6k https://t.co/hIFe1zWt02 via @mws pic.twitter.com/gzvQvreWg9

— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) December 1, 2019

Twitter users are sharing their shock about French’s TikTok takeoff. And of course, the rumors have begun, with some doubting that her raspy voice is real. Others are questioning why she got famous so quickly. (French has pointed out, herself, that she’s an awkward dancer.)

alex french just hit 1M on tiktok....she literally had 300k last night i-

— сece ︎ (@hweetener) December 1, 2019

let’s talk about how Alex French had the fastest growing account ever... Charli D’amelio who? pic.twitter.com/29DogYIklr

— ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ (@micahhomg) December 2, 2019

deleted vid of alex french after being “exposed” for changing her voice and portraying herself as a never ending ray of sunshine pic.twitter.com/9Anunl0sOi

— ling ling (@iChristina_) December 2, 2019

the new hype on tiktok is on alex french lmfao she literally had 400K yesterday morning and now she has 1.2M this shits trippy

— mia (@kamiliazhan) December 2, 2019

alex french: hi

the whole tiktok community: talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before

— mo ♡s nick wilde (@agustIeaves) December 2, 2019

It seems like French’s viral growth won’t stop anytime soon. She posted a video thanking her followers for hitting one million. Less than 12 hours later, she has 300,000 more followers.

READ MORE:

• TikTok denies suspending teen over Chinese internment camp videos
• The U.S. Army is reevaluating its use of TikTok after security concerns
• People risking concussions for new TikTok challenge 

The post Viral sensation Alex French hits one million TikTok followers overnight appeared first on The Daily Dot.

There are few series that have been more impactful on young millennials and Gen Zers than the Twilight saga. Now teens are reliving Twilight love on TikTok with videos that poke fun at the series and its biggest fans.

Thanks to four sequels and Tumblr’s “Twilight renaissance” of memes, the fandom has only evolved in the 11 years the Cullen clan first hit theaters. On TikTok, where many users were in elementary school when the first Twilight movie was released, creators are looking back on the movies that gripped their pre-pubescent hearts.

The TikTok videos are mostly “point-of-view,” or POV-style, and riff on other popular acting challenges.

And since there’s nothing like a haunting piano ballad to remind you of teen vampire angst, many of the videos use the song “For Twilight Lovers” by @jasonwaund. (@jasonwaund did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment.)

“me in middle school listening to the twilight soundtrack on my way to the bus pretending i was bella going to meet edward outside,” user @laurenmeyerz wrote.

If you watched the Twilight saga, you probably pretended to be a vampire at least once, or maybe knew about that one kid in class who always did. If you feel like reminiscing, @lolilexi’s videos are perfect.

Maybe you were just heavily obsessed and willing to duke it out with anyone who wasn’t 100% Team Edward.

And whether you’re still a diehard Fanpire or not, you have to admit: The acting in some the TikTok videos far surpasses the movies.

READ MORE:

• ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ is a note-perfect Gen Z spin-off
• David Fincher is doing a ‘Chinatown’ prequel series, naturally
• YouTube right now! “Kristen Stewart Explains Cheating”

The post TikTok teens are making ‘Twilight’ videos—and they’re everything appeared first on The Daily Dot.

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the highly-popular app TikTok over allegations that it secretly sent the data of U.S. users to China.

Filed in California last week, the lawsuit accuses the app, owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance, of collecting and transferring “to servers in China vast quantities of private and personally-identifiable user data.”

That data, the suit adds, “can be employed to identify, profile and track the location and activities of users in the United States now and in the future.”

The suit challenges TikTok’s repeated claims that U.S. data always remains stateside and never on Chinese-owned servers.

The plaintiff, a university student living in Palo Alto named Misty Hong, has also accused the app of creating her an account months after she downloaded the app and declined to make one herself. To make matters worse, Hong further claims that draft videos she created but never published were also transferred to China.

“In short, TikTok’s lighthearted fun comes at a heavy cost,” the lawsuit states. “Meanwhile, TikTok unjustly profits from its secret harvesting of private and personally-identifiable user data by, among other things, using such data to derive vast targeted-advertising revenues and profit.”

TikTok has thus far declined to comment on the case, but it wouldn’t be the first time the app was accused of mishandling data.

The app was fined $5.7 million by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in February for allegedly collecting data on children in violation of the law.

Concerns have also been raised over the app’s safety in light of its connection to China. The U.S. Army announced last month an investigation into TikTok over potential security issues for users in the military.

The app has also been accused of censoring content on behalf of China, such as videos discussing the country’s internment camps for Muslim minorities as well as the protests in Hong Kong.

READ MORE:

• Child found safe after disappearing with person she met on TikTok
• How to download TikTok videos, with and without the app
• TikTok denies suspending teen over Chinese internment camp videos

H/T BBC

The post TikTok lawsuit claims app sends ‘vast quantities’ of data to China appeared first on The Daily Dot.

It’s a TikTok that starts off, like many others, with two teen girls start lip-syncing to a hip-hop song. But then you realize the girls are upside-down, and the cracked windshield indicates something much more jarring: They’re lip-syncing on TikTok in the aftermath of a major car crash.

Katie Cornetti, 16, told the Daily Dot she selected a song—Ashnikko’s “STUPID”—and began recording her and her friend Marissa Bordas as they hung suspended for 20 minutes in Bordas’ totaled car.

Cornetti said that an improperly mounted tire caused the car to crash on Nov. 16 outside of Pittsburgh. The TikTok shows the girls laughing and appearing physically fine, and Cornetti told BuzzFeed News that the only injury she suffered was a small bruise on her lip caused by her phone.

“We were both, by the graces of God, perfectly fine,” Cornetti told the Daily Dot.

Cornetti said she and Bordas, who was driving, had ensured each other’s safety before laughing about the situation. Recording the TikTok allowed for them to cope with humor as they waited for emergency services to arrive, Cornetti said.

“There was not much we could do to make anything better, so that’s what we decided to do,” Cornetti told BuzzFeed News. “Literally the week before I got into a small car accident I was freaking out and crying—that was not the best way to cope with anything.”

But she does understand the absurdity of the video.

“Who takes a TikTok when they are flipped over in a car, stuck?” Cornetti said.

While some on TikTok and Twitter commended the girls for their devotion to TikTok, others saw it as inappropriate.

“They’re way too calm for the situation,” user @lexthelibra commented on Cornetti’s post.

“Imagine being the [firefighter] that sprints up to the flipped car to see… this…” @llamas_.in_.pajamas commented.

Famed YouTuber Zane Hijazi reposted the TikTok on Twitter where it got over a million views.

“These girls got into an accident, flipped their car, and still managed to get a TikTok up,” Zane tweeted.

These girls got into an accident, flipped their car, and still managed to get a TikTok up pic.twitter.com/MPxnOFgBhW

— zane (@zane) November 20, 2019

Cornetti and two of her friends made another TikTok post to explain the accident in a “storytime” video. The girls said they were on their way to get smoothies when the tire caused the car to flip while Bordas was making a turn.

“The car basically just like flipped twice, went through a fence,” Cornetti said. “And just so you know, we were not even on our phones. Even I, who was the passenger—[we] were not on our phones.”

In the “storytime” video, the girls sit in a parked car as they address the internet’s comments.

“And if anyone was wondering, Daddy’s money is not paying for my fucking car,” Bordas says. “It’s my money, thank you very much.”

READ MORE:

• Josh Brolin says he tried butthole sunning—says ‘don’t do it’
• TikTok teens are making ‘Twilight’ videos—and they’re everything
• FaZe Banks says Alissa Violet did ‘horrible things’ to him

The post Teen goes viral for recording TikTok immediately following car crash appeared first on The Daily Dot.

Popular social media platform TikTok has admitted to suppressing content creators who moderators feared would be victims of cyberbullying.

German digital rights blog Netzpolitik.org reports that according to internal documents, TikTok instructed moderators to flag videos by creators they felt were especially vulnerable to mockery. This included disabled, LGBTQ, and fat creators.

These “special users” were “susceptible to harassment or cyberbullying based on their physical or mental condition” a spokesperson from TikTok told Netzpolitik. These users were assigned a special mark that would prevent their video from being viewed outside of their country of origin and prevent their content from appearing on the “for you” section of the app.

On TikTok, where users create singing, comedy, and prank video, views are everything. According to Netzpolitik, by creating blocks for “special users,” TikTok robbed the users of millions of views.

Even more concerning, according to Netzpolitik, moderators had 30 seconds to determine whether users should be flagged, for example, for having “facial disfigurement,” “autism,” or “Down syndrome.”

In a statement to the Daily Dot, a TikTok spokesperson said the policy was “blunt and temporary.”

“This was never designed to be a long-term solution, but rather a way to help manage a troubling trend until our teams and user-facing controls could keep up,” the spokesperson said. “While the intention was good, the approach was wrong and we have long since changed the earlier policy in favor of more nuanced anti-bullying policies and in-app protections.”

READ MORE:

• MIT researchers have developed a tool to fight cyberbullying
• Four Irish students suspended after harassing teachers on Facebook
• What is IgFace for TikTok and how can you best use it?

H/T Slate

The post TikTok admits to hiding content made by fat, LGBTQ, and disabled users appeared first on The Daily Dot.

We’ve previously written about the absolutely uncanny resemblance between Ariana Grande and her teenage impersonator on TikTok. As it turns out, Grande herself was seriously taken aback by the similarities.

The 15-year-old lookalike, Paige Neimann, told Entertainment Tonight that Grande reached out to chat with her after her videos were brought to the popstar’s attention.

“She said, ‘I’m flattered,’” Neimann shared. “She wanted to let me know that I am beautiful in my own way and I said, ‘Thank you and thank you for being so kind to me.’ And she said, ‘I’m proud of you.’”

I just know Ariana is terrified... pic.twitter.com/yOdYniNGjN

— fan account (@knnewagb) November 22, 2019

Neimann has said she started getting compared to Grande when she was 10 years old, and when she leaned into Grande’s style by mimicking her makeup and hair looks, it just made sense to start posting the transformation on Instagram and TikTok.

“I started doing it for fun and now it’s something that I do regularly, almost every day,” she said.

Neimann has over 2 million followers on TikTok alone, who tune in to watch her do impressions of Grande. She also recreates Victorious scenes with teens who look like other cast members from the Nickelodeon show. Grande portrayed Cat in the show. 

One of Neimann’s TikTok videos caught Grande’s attention after it went viral on Twitter. 

Grande responded to the video, which shows the teen lip-syncing Cat’s dialogue, saying, “i just wonder whyyy the cat voice / dialogue… it’s [definitely] bizarre seeing people blend the two worlds.”

i just wonder whyyyy the cat voice / dialogue. i am sure she is the sweetest sweet sweetheart forreal !! but it’s definitley bizarre seeing people blend the two worlds lmao.

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) November 24, 2019

Neimann has been on the receiving end of backlash but has said she doesn’t “care what haters say.”

“I’m just going to keep on doing what makes me happy, and looking like Ariana makes me happy,” Niemann told Dazed in February.

Neimann might be getting to meet her idol in person very, very soon. 

“She reached out to me,” Neimann told Entertainment Tonight. “I was shocked. She’s my idol so I was shaking a little bit … She said, ‘Let me know if you’re ever going to my Sweetener Tour, we can grab a hug.’”

READ MORE:

• This TikTok teen looks exactly like Ariana Grande–and fans are terrified
• Ariana Grande sues Forever 21 for using a model who looks ‘strikingly similar’ to her
• Internet freaked by TikTok teen who looks just like two ‘Victorious’ castmates combined

H/T Elle

The post Ariana Grande spoke with TikTok teen who looks exactly like her appeared first on The Daily Dot.

Before rapper Juice WRLD died after an apparent seizure, his fans had faked seizures to his song “Lucid Dreams” as part of a challenge on TikTok, a popular video-sharing platform.

The 21-year-old rapper died on Sunday after reportedly having a seizure at Chicago’s Midway airport. Since then, TikTok users are freaking out that they may have “predicted” Juice WRLD’s death.

The fake seizure video challenge, or the #luciddreamchallenge, took off in November. Most of the videos show teens dancing and then spitting out water while they have fake seizures.

Most of the videos are just a couple weeks old, prompting TikTok users to question whether they anticipated the up-and-coming rapper’s death.

“You’ve all predicted Juice WRLD’s death … look at the news,” TikTok user @colbyjanex commented on a fake seizure video posted about a month ago.

When the fake seizure videos started to become popular in November, some TikTok users criticized the trend, saying epilepsy wasn’t something to joke about. But since Juice WRLD’s death, people have flooded the comment sections of the videos either asking the teens to take down the videos or sharing their shock that the rapper actually died after a seizure.

“This isn’t a joke anymore,” TikTok user @jozlynanderson20 wrote on a fake seizure video posted over a month ago.

There are nearly 3 million views on the videos participating in the challenge. Officials are still unsure about what caused Juice WRLD’s death.

READ MORE:

• Rapper Juice WRLD dead at 21
• Ariana Grande spoke with TikTok teen who looks exactly like her
• Teen goes viral for recording TikTok immediately following car crash

The post TikTok users are freaking out about ‘predicting’ Juice WRLD’s death appeared first on The Daily Dot.

Hey, you. You’re finally awake. You were trying to find a new Skyrim meme, right? You’ve come to the right place.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is arguably one of the most iconic RPGs in video game history. Even more fantastical in scale than any of its predecessors in the franchise, Skyrim is known for its glorious landscapes, endless character advancement options, and rich diversity. Recently adapted for the Nintendo Switch, it remains extremely popular despite the release of several new Elder Scrolls titles.

It’s also wonderfully easy to meme. From epic Skyrim-themed raps to skill tree spoofs to the endless array of mods that are memes in and of themselves, there really is no limit to this game’s meme potential. Now, its NPCs are under fire.

Goofy NPCs are not unique to the Elder Scrolls series. By their very nature, non-playable characters always end up a little robotic and off-beat. However, there is something particularly hilarious about the peculiar brand of kookiness Skyrim NPCs possess that really stands out in the game’s otherwise hyper-realistic world.

TikTok user Jinnkid captures this perfectly in his ‘Skyrim in real life’ TikTok series. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this very niche comedy sketch show.

Skyrim in Real Life: TikTok #1

Here, in part one of the series, JinnKid introduces us to the first of several well-known NPC archetypes. In this TikTok, he acts like a Courier delivering a letter from Jarl Ulfric, a rebel leader. He captures the character’s odd, run-on dialogue, strange responsiveness, and absurd gait perfectly. Having the NPC moonwalk backward and walk-slide awkwardly against the wall? It’s almost too accurate.

Skyrim in Real Life: TikTok #2

Part two focuses more on the weird, glitchy movement of NPCs and their hilarious responses to playable character stimuli. (Truly, is there anything more realistic than us players hitting NPCs for no reason? They’re so fun to mess with.) JinnKid even walks directly into a chair and “glitched” on top of it. Also, “You try mercenary work?” is undoubtedly one of the most memed phrases of the game. A+ execution, JinnKid.

Skyrim in Real Life: TikTok #3

Like the previous TikToks in this series, part three incorporates perfectly accurate music, sound effects, and the distinctive floating hand of first-person gameplay. In this video, JinnKid pokes fun at Skyrim‘s semi-broken stealth mechanic. Few things are more amusing than stealing something right from under an NPC’s nose and then watching them frantically look around for the thief—even though you’re literally hiding in plain sight right in front of them.

Skyrim in Real Life: TikTok #4

JinnKid’s next TikTok in the ‘Skyrim in real life’ series, part four, focuses on a very specific category of NPC: Bards. Between his flamboyant vest, ludicrous stance, and—of course—acoustic guitar, JinnKid has this fan-favorite down to a tee. Enjoy this TikTok user’s inspired parody of in-game song “Ragnar the Red” as he commits almost too much to this excellent bit. (RIP to the unsuspecting Bard and his perfectly functional guitar.)

Skyrim in Real Life: TikTok #5

Ah, picking locks: a staple of any Elder Scrolls experience. In arguably his best video yet, JinnKid combines lock-picking with the best facets of his previous Skyrim TikToks into one hilarious tribute to NPC nonsense. Snatching up gold? Check. Oblivious NPC you just stole from? Check. Comically broken NPC movement? Check. And, of course, JinnKid hits the nail on the head with the ending—as long as an NPC falls asleep, you can truly get away with anything.

Damn you, Stormcloaks. Looks like we’ve got to start playing Skyrim again.

READ MORE

• TikTok teens are making ‘Twilight’ videos—and they’re everything
• Baby Yoda continues reign over the internet with sipping soup meme
• This TikTok teen looks exactly like Ariana Grande–and fans are terrified

The post These TikTok videos that recreate NPC interactions from Skyrim are honestly incredible appeared first on The Daily Dot.

It’s no secret that TikTok users love roasting themselves, and the latest TikTok trend has users exposing their boujee childhood selves. TikTok users have officially memed “whew chile the ghetto” and are sharing their thoughts on everything from buying houses to wedding dress budgets to name-brand alternatives.

The sound that’s going viral is from a short clip of Real Housewives of Atlanta. NeNe Leakes says “whew chile the ghetto” over sirens and the show’s background music. While “whew chile the ghetto” is not a new phrase, it was only a matter of time before teens started making it into a TikTok meme given the rampant rise of the video-sharing, China-owned platform.

TikTok user @noahpugliano made a video saying “me as a kid watching HGTV House Hunters and seeing their budget is $300K.” He also included his father’s comments in the video saying “Noah that’s a lot of mone-” before being cut off by “the ghetto.”

TikTok user @realliamsilk used the sound to show how his mother gets every last bit of soap out of the bottle.

TikTok user @samvicchiollo used the sound to make fun of Android users, saying “when you’re making an iMessage group chat but can’t change the name because someone has an Android” and captioned it “HAHA tag your friend with a Samsung so we can make fun of them for being poor #justkidding.”

TikTok user @mclovig simply said, “7th grade me seeing someone in Bearpaws instead of Uggs.”

It appears that most of these TikToks are meant to be lighthearted in nature, and users are poking fun at their younger selves for their judgments. But many think white TikTok users calling things “ghetto” is racially insensitive. This is not the first time TikToks have been scrutinized for appropriation. Another TikTok trend that had viewers reeling was the “ghetto white kid” trend. Twitter user @jennyfuur asked “ok but [for real] what is with this Tik Tok trend.”

his caption: “you’re new to school and you meet the ghetto white kid” ok but fr what is with this tik tok trend pic.twitter.com/C65VU69Ek4

— ︎ (@jennyfuur) October 11, 2019

Twitter user @dahvaee pointed out that TikTok’s version of “ghetto” is just imitation “Black dialect,” and tweeted “there’s too much to unpack with these Tik Tok trends.”

The fact that they call it ghetto, but In reality they are just mimicking a black dialect of English so messy. There's too much to unpack with these tik Tok trends https://t.co/FnCcGorCYe

— iDahvae (@dahvaee) October 13, 2019

Though they’re trending now, after news that TikTok has been hiding content by fat, LGBTQ, and disabled users, and increased criticism of widespread stereotyping on the app, the “whew chile the ghetto” TikToks may be short-lived.

READ MORE:

• These TikTok videos that recreate NPC interactions from Skyrim are honestly incredible
• TikTok users are freaking out about ‘predicting’ Juice WRLD’s death
• Ariana Grande spoke with TikTok teen who looks exactly like her

The post TikTok users are sharing things they thought were ‘ghetto’ as kids appeared first on The Daily Dot.