What is TikTok?
TikTok is a video sharing app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It launched in 2016 under the name Douyin but was later renamed TikTok for international markets. As of 2023, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide (source).
On TikTok, users can create and share short videos up to 3 minutes long. Videos are typically fun, entertaining clips of users lip syncing, dancing, pulling pranks, or showcasing other talents. The app features a vast library of licensed music and sounds that users can incorporate into their videos.
A key feature of TikTok is its algorithmic “For You” feed which recommends videos to each user based on their interests and engagement. This creates a highly personalized, addictive experience that keeps users scrolling endlessly.
TikTok has become one of the most downloaded and used social apps worldwide, especially among teenagers and young adults. Its emergence as a global phenomenon has transformed internet culture and reshaped the entertainment and marketing landscapes.
What are TikTok challenges?
TikTok challenges are trends where users create their own videos based on a specific concept or format. They often involve dancing, lip synching, acting out sketches, or participating in viral stunts. The key element is users creating their own unique content while following the same overarching theme or guidelines.
Challenges begin organically when a user posts an initial video with a distinctive hashtag. As more users see the hashtag and create their own videos, it starts trending. Often a specific song, dance move or joke becomes associated with the hashtag. Challenges frequently involve putting one’s own spin on an original video.
Some of the most popular types of challenges include dance challenges like the Renegade, stunts like the Milk Crate Challenge, lip sync challenges like the M to M challenge, and more. The fun, often comic nature of challenges resonates with TikTok’s young user base.
How do dance challenges start?
Most dance challenges on TikTok start with popular influencers or creators posting an original dance video using a specific song. These influencers usually already have a large following, allowing their dance video to quickly gain traction and views. Songs can go viral extremely fast on TikTok if used in a dance challenge, which then inspires many other users to create their own dance videos using the same track. Some recent examples of songs that went viral through dance challenges include “Laxed (Siren Beat)” by Jawsh 685 and “Renegade” by K Camp through the hashtag #renegadechallenge [1].
Influencers with creative choreography skills often kickstart trends by posting their own original dances. Their followers then attempt to recreate and put their own spin on the dances. The addictive nature of trying to master these dance moves coupled with the fun of participating in a collective online experience is what drives so many users to join in on viral challenges. Dance challenges that catch on can spread through TikTok extremely rapidly, with thousands of video submissions flooding in within days. The effects of a viral dance challenge can make obscure songs suddenly explode in popularity and bring fame to their creators.
How do users participate?
Users participate in dance challenges on TikTok by recording and uploading their own videos. To take part, users will first learn the dance moves featured in the original viral video that started the challenge. They practice the routine, set it to the same song, and record their own version.
To share their submission and have it included in the hashtag challenge, users post their video publicly on TikTok and add the designated hashtag that identifies that particular dance craze. For example, the #GitUpChallenge in 2019 used Blanco Brown’s song “The Git Up” and corresponding choreography. TikTok users wanting to participate would add #GitUpChallenge to their videos showing themselves dancing to that song.
By using the unique hashtag, the videos get grouped together on TikTok under that tag. This allows users to easily find and view all challenge submissions as they scroll through videos using the hashtag. Adding the hashtag also enters the video into the public challenge, making it visible to others looking for content with that tag. Overall, the hashtag connects each submission and compiles them into the larger dance challenge.
As more users see others taking part in the viral craze, it can prompt them to create their own version. The use of hashtags helps the dance challenge gain momentum, visibility, and spread rapidly across the platform as additional people upload their own take.
Why do they go viral?
TikTok dance challenges often go viral because they tap into users’ desire for fun, creativity, and community. As psychologist Pamela Rutledge explains, participating in viral challenges provides “novelty, social connection, and creative expression” (Rutledge). The challenges give people a chance to showcase their personalities in a playful way. Even though the dances follow a specific choreography, each user can put their own spin on it. This blend of structure and creativity makes it easy for large numbers of users to participate. As more and more people post their own dance videos, a sense of community is built around the challenge. Users feel connected to each other through the shared experience of learning the dance and expressing themselves through movement. This communal aspect gives the challenges their viral momentum.
Impact on songs & artists
TikTok dance challenges have had a major impact on the music industry by exposing songs to a much wider audience. When a dance to a particular song goes viral on TikTok, it can lead to a huge spike in streams and downloads for that track. According to one analysis, songs that are used in popular TikTok dances see a streaming boost of more than 800% on average.
Record labels and artists have recognized the power of TikTok to propel songs to mainstream success. Many now promote new singles by explicitly encouraging fans to create dances and challenges with them on TikTok. Labels may even commission influencers to help kickstart dance trends. The app has become an essential part of music marketing.
Some examples of songs that reached much wider audiences thanks to viral TikTok dances include “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X, “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion, “Say So” by Doja Cat, and “Renegade” by Big Green Tractor. TikTok dances have helped turn these from little-known tracks into major hits.
Notable viral dances
Some of the most popular and widely attempted viral dances on TikTok include the Renegade, Moto Moto, and Savage challenges. The Renegade dance was created in September 2019 by 14-year-old Jalaiah Harmon and went massively viral after TikTok star Charli D’Amelio posted her attempt. The fast-paced dance is set to the song “Lottery (Renegade)” by K Camp and is considered one of the most difficult TikTok dances.
The Moto Moto challenge features creators dancing and lip-syncing to the “Moto Moto” audio from the movie Madagascar 2. The humorously flirtatious audio inspired sassy and over-the-top dance moves often poking fun at internet culture.
Megan Thee Stallion’s song “Savage” spawned both a simple hand dance and a fast-paced footwork challenge. Many celebrities hopped on the viral Savage challenge including Janet Jackson, Jessica Alba and Jillian Michaels. The infectious beat and swaggering confidence of the song made it ideal for fun, fierce dance videos.
Dance challenge controversies
While dance challenges on TikTok can be fun and creative ways for users to express themselves, some controversies have emerged around certain challenges. One issue is copyright infringement and lack of credit to original choreographers. For example, the popular “Renegade” dance challenge was created by teenager Jalaiah Harmon, but went viral after being performed by Charli D’Amelio without proper attribution (https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/comm3p18/chapter/tiktoks-creative-dilemma-the-charlie-damelio-renegade-dance-challenge-controversy-and-the-influence-of-participatory-culture-on-originality-and-attribution/). This highlights the need for proper crediting of dance creators on TikTok.
In addition, some challenges have led to injuries as users attempt dangerous stunts and tricks. Medical experts have warned about potential injuries like wrists sprains, shoulder dislocations, and head trauma associated with challenges like the “Skullbreaker” prank (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563223002078). Parents and authorities have cautioned against participating in challenges that encourage risky behavior.
Finally, controversies have emerged when some challenges promote inappropriate, dangerous, or illegal behavior. Challenges like the “outlet challenge” and “penny challenge” led to fire risks and electrocutions. TikTok has banned certain hashtags and challenges, but risky content still slips through, raising concerns about user safety and platform oversight.
Cultural significance
TikTok dance challenges have had a profound cultural impact, bringing joy and connectedness to millions around the world. As a platform, TikTok enables trends and viral dances to emerge rapidly and organically, driven by users themselves. Within days, a new dance can spread from a single user’s post to achieve global ubiquity. This signifies TikTok’s power as a cultural force – its capacity to captivate massive audiences through the universal appeal of dance.
Dances like the Renegade, Mensa, or Savage challenge allow regular people to participate in pop culture moments that feel both communal and personal. As The New York Times notes, “The application’s interface is perfectly designed for memeified challenges to go viral among its young users.”
While viral trends come and go quickly, their significance should not be underestimated. In an increasingly isolated, digital world, shared dances and challenges create human connections through online spaces. As a digital ethnographer observed, TikTok brings dance “back to its roots as a folk practice that enables collective meaning-making.” For a fleeting moment, disparate social groups can find common ground and camaraderie through a TikTok dance.
The future
As TikTok continues to evolve as a platform, we will likely see new developments in dance challenges and viral trends. According to an article on EngageBay, TikTok is expected to remain a top social media platform, which means dance challenges will likely continue to thrive. However, there may be some changes ahead.
One potential change highlighted in an article on LinkedIn is increased competition from other platforms trying to emulate TikTok’s success. To stay relevant, TikTok will need to innovate with new features and tools for creators. The TikTok Trends Report for 2024 predicts more interactive and immersive effects, like green screen and augmented reality, will engage users.
Dance challenges may also become more niched and community-focused, tailored to specific subcultures on TikTok. Brand collaborations on viral dances could evolve as well. While dance challenges show no signs of disappearing from TikTok, they may take on new forms as the app continues to grow.
