I like watching people make their beds, cook themselves breakfast, train at the gym, study at the library and carry out a range of other mundane day-to-day tasks.
But it’s not just me.
On TikTok, ‘Day-in-the-life’ vlogs have taken over the platform. With ‘#DayintheLife‘ and ‘#DailyVlog‘ reaching a total of over 20 billion views, it is safe to assume the genre has audiences captivated.
Vlog-style videos have become incredibly popular within the realm of TikTok, with content creators from a diverse range of communities engaging with the trend. The genre, which allows people to share snippets of their day-to-day life, has risen to popularity largely due to its diverse inclusivity and participatory nature. As you would expect, within the genre exists a number of (sometimes bizarre) niche sub-genres.
Featuring the creators @lars_born_, @miaxmon, @freshman_life, @theoliviasaurusrex and @amyjadexo.
Whilst I do enjoy the occasional insight into the lives of foot models and full-time stay-at-home girlfriends, this is not usually the content I gravitate towards.
Personally, the vlogs I engage with the most are almost always by 18 to 25 year-old female creators from Australia, showing what they get up to in their busy lives working, studying, doing chores and training at the gym.
If you compare my life to the lives depicted by these creators (which you can by viewing my shameless plug below), there are a range of notable similarities.
As such, this brings me to the theory of ‘cultural proximity’, and how it directly correlates with the popularity of TikTok vlogs.
WHAT IS CULTURAL PROXIMITY?
Described as “the intuitively appealing notion that people will gravitate toward media from their own culture” (Ksiazek & Webster 2008), cultural proximity basically means that we are drawn to media that resonate with us (linguistically, ethnically, socially, etc). We enjoy consuming media that is relatable, understandable and is connected to our own culture.
CULTURAL PROXIMITY AND THE “FOR YOU” PAGE
This idea is amplified through the ‘For You Page’- where users can access an endless feed of content curated specifically for them. Described as “…efficient at learning about the user through their interaction patterns and it makes users feel seen” (Davis 2021), TikTok’s algorithm demonstrates the application of cultural proximity by utilising user data (such as geographic location, gender and age) to determine our individual cultural identities. Through this information, the platform generates a feed of content we are likely to engage with.
WHY TIKTOK VLOGS ARE SO POPULAR
For me, it is easy to draw a connection between the theory of cultural proximity and the media I consume online.
As a 20 year-old Australian student who enjoys waking up early and going to the gym, the style of vlogs I enjoy watching on TikTok reflect a lifestyle I am (in some way) familiar with. The videos resonate with my own specific experiences – they are relatable, understandable and culturally relevant to me.
I think the fact ‘Day in the Life’ vlogs have the capacity to reach such a diverse range of niche audiences speaks to its popularity on the platform. The amount of content available means that, most likely, the theory of cultural proximity is applicable for anyone on the platform.
REFERENCE LIST
- Davis, M 2021, ‘This is For You’: An Anthropological Approach to Relationships to TikTok and its Algorithm, Knowledge UChicago.
- Ksiazek, TB & Webster, JG 2008, ‘Cultural Proximity and Audience Behavior: The Role of Language in Patterns of Polarization and Multicultural Fluency’, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 485–503.