Can TikTok think you a better life?
When Covid-19 sent us all into lockdown this time last year, the world moved online for its entertainment needs. While many trends were birthed in the first few weeks of isolation, from Tiger King to banana bread, one phenomenon came out on top: TikTok.
With over one billion monthly users worldwide, the app proved itself as the cultural king of global lockdowns and sparked crazes upon crazes. It got every teenager whipping their coffee, we saw house tours à la MTV Cribs, every song came attached to a viral dance and of course, manifestation.
The trend involves users simply saying what they want, but phrasing it in a clearly stated and decided way. “What belongs to me will simply find me”, “I am loved and I am happy”, “the partner I seek is also seeking me and I now release all blocks that are standing between us”.
The idea goes that by saying certain things (usually centred around money, love and/or self-love), by putting the positivity out into the universe, you are willing it into existence. The practice has received over 10 billion views across various hashtags, bolstered by various ‘sounds’ (popular audio tracks within the app) and sub-trends, even inspiring songs by Yung Baby Tate and Ariana Grande.
While sceptics may be wary, followers of the trend find it easy to believe because what they ask for is so specific – “when I practice manifesting, it’s not just some general thing, I’m asking for distinct stuff, so when it happens it’s hard to not put some faith in it, even if you’re not totally convinced” says Neve, who got into the practice after downloading Tiktok at the beginning of lockdown.
Of course, the practice wasn’t born on TikTok, actually stemming from Phineas Parkhurst Quimby and the ‘New Thought’ spiritual movement he inspired. But during a time of universal uncertainty, when many people online and off are feeling helpless and in need of some mental bolstering to keep working towards their goals, it makes perfect sense that the movement has seen a resurgence on the social app.
The real question, of course, is whether or not there’s any actual legitimacy to the art of manifestation and of course, like many questions of the doctrinal variety, the answer is not a simple one. With its unempirical nature, it’s hard to find any proof but, as with any spirituality, proof isn’t the point – its faith.
The practice is very much centred around a positive mindset and ‘reframing’ one’s thoughts, which many psychologists would agree is a good thing. There have been a myriad of studies on the placebo effect that prove sole belief in something can lead to actual change, “so, in that sense, these techniques are an elaborate exercise in the power of perception – and they may ‘work’ because people think they work” says Catherine Sanderson, a psychologist and author, in a BBC interview on the topic.
However, while manifestation can lead to a better life through positive thinking and prompting actionable steps, it can at times descend into delusion. “It didn’t really work for me because, after I’d heard all my friends talking about it, I just trusted it so much I didn’t really do anything to try get whatever it was I wanted” says 19-year-old Annabel.
Because the practice has such a following, it’s easy for some to put total faith into manifestation, which can at times be a source of disappointment, but can also devolve into something more sinister, when people do potentially dangerous things because they have ‘manifested’ that nothing bad will happen to them.
Like many trends in the Gen-Z sphere however, the idea of manifestation online has become tinged with irony (see Twitters ‘shut up I’m manifesting’ memes), so individuals who are taking manifestation as the gospel truth are few and far between, so the takeaways for the majority of the people is a positive one.
In a period of ‘unprecedented times’, with the mental health of many on the decline and increased fear and isolation, any trend that can lend hope to people and give them some positivity, especially when it can change one’s mindset for the better and lead to actual positive change externally as well as in, is a welcome one.
Image by Emily Bauman
Such an insightful great piece! Really enjoyed it.
I think it’s so interesting how you viewed the pandemic through the lens of TikTok! It definitely became a big distraction for me (and still is between the hours of midnight and 2am…) I haven’t seen that manifestation trend on my ‘FYP’ but I feel like it makes sense that people want a level of control when we’ve lost so much of it.
I usually don’t laugh reading articles but I had a lot of fun reading this , I love tiktok manifestation I think it’s so funny
Hi Jamie, I enjoyed your piece, and it taught me a lot about something I wasn’t even aware of before I began reading it. It’s written in nice, breezy style which doesn’t take itself or its subject matter too seriously but, at the same time, there’s a keen intelligence at work in your exploration of it. Clearly, written about any aspect of social media gives a writer immediate licence to embed posts and videos, and you do this to good effect here. It could also have worked as a piece in which you tried out manifesting – the writer experimenting first-hand with their topic – but how you’ve approached it is fine.
Loved this subject and the media included, I really had the feeling that I trust your research and perspective, maybe because it’s Gen Z writing about a Gen Z topic and it’s not done through the lens of an outsider. Such a nice touch to include the origins of manifesting.