I hate the Tiktok personality

I copied and pasted this from my notes app on my phone, so apologies in advance.

 Lately, I’ve been noticing how many people talk in borrowed phrases. Their jokes, their comebacks, all of it seems lifted from clips, trends, and soundbites.

Referencing things can be fun. Shared culture has value. But there’s a difference between connecting through shared language and replacing your voice with someone else’s. When every reaction is rehearsed, every opinion borrowed, who are we even talking to? What relationships are we building?

There’s also this rising tendency to treat cruelty as a personality trait. Rudeness gets framed as confidence. Indifference is somehow aspirational. Everything is brushed off as irony or deflection, “just a bit,” “I'm just joking,” "it's just how I am.” But irony doesn’t justify treating people like they’re disposable. I can totally get by with people “messing with me” or “joking around” but if your just an asshat and want to get away with treating people like shit.. I’m not the one. 

Not everything has to be entertaining. Not every moment needs to be curated. Some of the most compelling people I know are the ones willing to be present and have “weird” interests.

Lately, it feels like sincerity has become suspicious. People judge fast and harshly: mention the wrong artist, talk about the wrong hobbies or interests, and it’s like a social penalty gets handed down. 

Let me dumb this down. 

I personally don’t listen to 2Pac, but am I gonna shame someone else for listening to 2Pac? No. 

Does listening to 2Pac define someone? No. 

Was someone else listening to 2Pac a serious thing I should have a critical opinion about? No. 

It’s not just about opinions. It’s about how little space people give each other to be nuanced. Everything has to fit into a category, a brand, a type. And the moment you step outside of what’s expected, people treat you like you’ve made a mistake.

But I don’t think it’s a mistake to show up honestly.

P.S.

What da fuhk is a labubu?

 xoxo,

-Kaiya