GIFTok is a new trend on TikTok that grew in popularity in late August 2024 wherein TikTokers post videos of the same clip on repeat that they claim to be GIFs, often with the clip being slowed down in subsequent versions as a humorous nudge.
Meaning behind the GIFTok trend
The GIFTok trend, also known as GIF Tok, lacks a distinct meaning, but many view it as a ‘gotcha’ meme where posters attempt to trick viewers by posting faux GIFs to their social media accounts.
Creators play the videos multiple times in one TikTok post, often slowing them down as a comedic nod to the act of posting the fake GIF videos.
Origin of the GIFTok trend
The GIFTok trend started after rapper RRoxket’s song “Ganger” was released on July 6th, 2024 on YouTube which made use of this GIF-like style of video throughout the nearly three-minute video.
Users have viewed the rap music video over 302K times and given it 15K likes in the two months since its release on the video platform.
However, the meme format idea appears to draw inspiration from another meme trend called ‘The Most Amount of Aura I’ve Used on a Level 1 TikTok’ from a few months earlier in April 2024.
The GIFTok trend spread to TikTok, where it got its name in late August 2024, with TikToker @kardockforpresident posting one of its earliest iterations on August 26th, 2024.
In their post, they edited the Oscar Proud Running meme, overlaying the video with the text, ‘’yo let’s skip class’ same mfs after they hear some keys jingle.’ People have viewed the video over 2.3 million times and left over 2.6K comments.
Some folks commented, “There’s no reason for us to be so funny😭🙏” and “August is TikTok’s new prime,” referring to the fact that many new trends have come about in the last month on TikTok.
The GIFTok hashtag has exploded in use, with users sharing more than 8.2K posts on the video app as of September 5th, 2024, and counting. A lot of the videos using the hashtag and meme format also pair their posts with a version of the RRoxket “Ganger” sound, including some that speed up the sound clip significantly.
Examples of the GIFTok trend
Many examples of the GIF Tok meme trend are tongue-in-cheek or self-deprecating.
@kalebsverynormal 40 life sentences on top of eachother 😭✌️#giftok #fyp ♬ Ganger by Rroxket CYBER SPEED – cyberundergr0und
TikToker @slizzymatt posted a video on August 27th, 2024 of an old cannibal Cinnamon Toast Crunch commercial. In it, one piece of cereal is chasing the other around a blue bowl, its tongue lolling out of its toothy mouth while the other runs away in fear.
Text overlay on the video reads, “When the huzz [canceled] the 2 man but I’m already 30 mins into the honey pack and it’s just us.” Users have viewed the video over 5.9 million times and liked it over 1.2 million times.
@skcorpii You still need to make an effort 💀 #fypage #trending #giftok #foryou #xybca ♬ Scenario prod joathxn – Prod joathxn
Not everyone finds the GIFTok trend impressive, as some TikTok users follow the trend while also judging it.
@celestialdragonssolo @🏴🇸🇴☪️Said its gotta end fr #giftok #fyp #fypシ゚viral #anime #souleater #virall ♬ original sound – SyncedJay
@symbiote_unequal get it right gng😿
♬ Ganger – RRoxket
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