Randomness is the main thrill of TikTok. Once known for viral dance videos, the platform has quickly evolved to be a unique mix of entertainment, escapism and education. Scroll the "for you page", known as FYP, and the algorithm might show you an escapist travel video from Portugal followed by a video of a millennial mum lip-syncing to a 2000s song by rapper Mystikal while pointing out the contrast in her own mother's parenting vs grandparenting style (@csapunch; worth a follow), then NZ Olympians celebrating their gold medal wins while dancing to a Drake song.
Creators are at the heart of TikTok, says Lee Hunter, general manager of TikTok Australia and NZ. Some of our most followed creators show the platform’s variety: Uncle Tics and his journey with Tourette’s (“I Put the Tik in TikTok,” reads his profile); Boston the blue staffy with 2.3 million followers; and Jecus Andrei, who shares videos from inside his guitar showing the soothing movement of the strings.
“The diverse and entertaining voices that thrive in our community are what makes TikTok such a fun and special place. New Zealand is home to so many talented creators, from comedians, to artists and members of the Māori and Pasifika communities, who bring their vibrant personalities and showcase unique Kiwi culture to the world.” Harry Waugh, a 25-year-old hospitality worker, is one such voice.
When and why did you join TikTok?
I actually didn’t want to. My friend Posy was on it as Verboten Queen and after pressuring me for a few weeks with hilarious videos, I caved and made Verboten Intern because she taught me how to use it. I think February 2020?
Do you do TikTok full-time? What do you do when you’re not on it?
I guess I do TikTok full-time, ha? But I also work full-time in hospo at Honey Bones and Hotel Ponsonby. Both of which are really busy, which I actually really love, especially with the teams I get to work with. I’ve also started doing some freelance creative work, but it’s very early days.
@verboten.intern I tell very VERY few customers this
? Ha - Tik Toker
How would you describe your approach to TikTok?
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.To be honest, only recently have I had anything you could call a consistent “approach” with the hospo TikToks I’ve shared. But for the most part it’s pretty much a stream of consciousness. I post what I want and that can range from personal experiences, relationships, work, politics or my love of music. I don’t really want to feel like, “Oh I can’t post this,” because that doesn’t feel like me.
What do you think makes TikTok so great?
There’s a lot that makes it great; personally though, I feel it’s allowed me to do what I’ve always wanted to do, which is be creative and make something every day. Which is something I really value and makes me feel a little sense of accomplishment, even when I don’t have such a great day.
As a platform, what do you love most about creating content for it?
I love seeing people comment how much they relate with what I make it’s like we are all in on this inside joke but with thousands of people. Especially the hospo TikToks I’ve made; I feel like I’m discovering this community of people who share all these funny and weird things that go on in the hospitality industry.
What’s one of your most popular videos?
Oh my gosh, it’s so dumb, which is why I love it. But it’s literally me filming a pigeon in a supermarket with no mask on while I’m stressing about Covid. It had some R&B track over it that sounds like it’s from the early 2000s, but somehow I got lucky enough to film the pigeon in the grains and nuts aisle, aha. It’s got something like 600k likes and almost 5 million views.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.TikTok has become known as the platform that speaks directly to Gen Z and Gen Alpha (i.e. young people). Why do you think it’s so popular with this generation?
I think it’s because Gen Z and Gen Alpha are so inherently distrustful of mainstream media, they don’t seem to serve their core values in terms of what they report on and the perspectives they highlight. I feel like you see a lot of coverage that puts forward a privileged or white perspective of political, economic and social events, which is something younger generations are getting tired of so they turn to other platforms like TikTok.
Many young people have complex relationships with social media and the impacts it can have, particularly on mental health. What’s your take on that? How do you practise healthy social media habits?
Oh gosh, I’m terrible when it comes to “healthy” social media habits. I can only speak from my perspective, but I do feel the more I use the app the more I seem to need a sense of daily validation, which can be really motivating sometimes and other times a bit debilitating and distracting from what I need to be doing. I think I’ve had to learn over the past year where my need for validation on particular days is coming from and how I best respond to that rather than just reacting.
TikTok handle: @Verboten.intern
