The influence of TikTok was felt across the board in the music industry, with 13 of the 16 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits of 2024 boasting viral trends on the platform.
In 2024, TikTok continued to be the epicentre of internet culture. The community showed us a year full of remakes of recipes and catchphrases, plus icons that are furry and feathered. From sassy hippos to brash dances and soothing vibes to culinary magic, this was the year of memorable moments that shaped pop culture.
Demure vs. Brat
TikTok taught us that in 2024 people are going to fall in love with someone opposite. At one extreme, we embraced the minimum realism - a phrase that creator Jools Lebron coined as being "very demure, very mindful". #demure evolved from a popular phrase to something more. From teaching a basic everyday makeup look to an ASMR meditation- TikTok had this collective yearning for more peace, hence Dictionary.com declared "demure" as their Word of the Year.
"On the other hand, people were channelling their inner 'brats.' The phenomenon popularised through Brat Summer and driven by an Apple dance by Kelley Heyer inspired by Charli XCX was about sass, about confidence and finally-about independence."
So popular was this word that Collins Dictionary crowned it its Word of the Year.
Animal Kingdom
And, of course, TikTok would not be TikTok without mentioning its popular animal performers. So, 2024 did not disappoint. A pygmy hippo from Thailand, Moo Deng, became a true darling. But she was not alone: she was joined by Pesto, the oversized King Penguin from Australia and the rest of the hilariously dubbed "Knights of the Round Table."
From Spuds to Salad
TikTok's food galaxy proved simple ingredients are all it takes to achieve global sensations: from Spud Brothers baking potatoes into trends in the UK with their indulgent toppings; Dubai-based Fix Dessert Chocolatier's ultimate chocolate bars leave people drooling; to Canadian Logan Moffit getting them internationally obsessed over a cucumber salad. The so-called "cucumber magic" even made grocery stores suffer in terms of supply.
TikTok's 2024 Music Megahits
In 2024, the platform's Top 10 global songs powered an incredible 200 million video creations and racked up more than 8 billion streams on Spotify. This year, the most popular hit was the reggaeton smash Gata Only by FloyyMenor featuring Cris Mj. Considered by the platform as TikTok's Global Song of the Year and Song of the Summer, Gata Only spurred 50 million TikTok videos and more than 1.3 billion streams on Spotify.
"Across the entire industry," noted experts,"the presence and contribution of TikTok were potentiated in 2024."