Trends come and go but I believe this one is here to stay. At least for a while… I’m sure most are familiar with the Adult Swim trend that caught much attraction on TikTok. The trend skyrocketed, but it left others quite confused. The trend consists of people piecing together random images with some form of heartfelt or even motivational message followed by the iconic [AS] logo at the very end. The trend has been recreated thousands of times and went as far as of times to the point where the network, Adult Swim, joined in on the fun. Many seem to still be confused on why this trend is happening so here are the basics.
What is Adult Swim?
For those of you who aren’t familiar, Adult Swim is Cartoon Network’s late-night programming that runs between the hours of 8 pm. And 6 a.m, directed towards teens and adults. Some of the late-night classics include Family Guy, Robot Chicken, Rick and Morty, and many more. Short clips also known as “bumps” are the commercial break between shows. It is meant to signify when the programming is going to start again.
Why this trend works?
In a TikTok explaining the trends, creator Imani who goes by the username @crutches_and_spice explains the psychology behind why it works. She mentions what’s known as a visual dictionary which is a mix of symbols. She goes on to say “if you know all the symbols that indicate what is going to happen next, then you know how to break that, and that’s exactly how brands get attention and buzz. What this trend does is it gives people formula in order to break peoples visual dictionary and because no two people will do it in the exact same way, there’s always going to be an unexpected element to any one of these videos and that’s exactly what the trend is snowballing because people are getting more creative and nobody watching can tell what’s gonna happen next. Even if technically they do. It also helps that adult swim is encouraging this because none of these iterations can harm their brand because the formula is unexpected.”
Nostalgia, versatility, and creativity are the main reasons why this trend became viral. People can make them as simple or elaborate as they want. It involves hiding the adult swim logo somewhere within the environment only to expose it casually blending in at the end. Although you know the adult swim logo is going to show up, there is a level of uncertainty as to how it will be revealed. Everything from food to clothing and technology is utilized to create this trend making it so that No one video will ever be the same as the other. That’s the true beauty of it.
How can you re-create this trend?
Although there are no set-in-stone materials as to what you need, there are some essentials the video will need to consist of: the music and of course, the logo. The song used is called running away by Vano 3000 which can be found on TikTok. If you want to create the video on a separate platform, check out this video template that comes with the song provided by the YouTube channel Kapwing.
It’s amazing to see the originality in every piece. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll see someone’s TikTok recreation end up on the network.
Sources: Haasch, P. (2021, June 8). A nostalgic trend paying homage to Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim is blowing up on TikTok. Insider. https://www.insider.com/adult-swim-tiktok-trend-meaning-as-vano-3000-2021-6
What is [as] on TikTok? Adult Swim Trend Meaning and Tutorial. (2021, June 9). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2g-wA-GDBs
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