Students are out of school, businesses are closed, and millions are stuck at home amid the coronavirus pandemic. One app many people are turning to for entertainment is TikTok, so a viral campaign is trying to remind the platform's many young users "there are still plenty of good times to be had."
Truth, the youth smoking prevention campaign, kicked off a TikTok challenge called #WerkItFromHome where users are encouraged to strut their stuff to RuPaul's hit song, Supermodel. Ariana Lee, who has over eight million followers on the platform, told Cheddar Thursday that the campaign is a creative way to tell people to stay at home.
“I took part because I feel like it’s a great way to encourage young people to stay home,” Lee said. “I think it shows how creative people can be.”
The short-form video platform has become widely popular with Generation Z and Lee said it resonates with so many users because of its similarity to Vine, which officially closed in 2017. “I guess it’s like a longer form of Vine and Vine was really popular, so I feel like short-formed videos are really appealing to my generation.”
When it came to creating her TikTok video for the #WerkItFromHome challenge Lee described how her contribution for the challenge came about. “It took a little bit of planning,” she said. “But it kind of happened naturally.”
The TikTok star said that the extra time at home recently has also allowed her to connect with her fans, and with more users on the platform, more ideas are being shared and trends have been created.
“I think there are more ideas because there are more people posting, and TikTok, you go off one another and you make your own video off that so there are more trends,” she said.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
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