From Bizarre Home Renovations to Viral Sensations: Unraveling the Mystery Behind TikTok’s Latest Trend

To go back to this article, navigate to My Profile, and then select Saved stories to view it again

Transforming Your Home for Countless Kids

Browsing TikTok over the last half-year likely means you've encountered them, as I did one evening during a deep dive into the platform. My discovery began with two oddly labeled videos under #homeimprovement and #interiordesign. In one, a digital character conjured a mythical phoenix beside a tree he envisioned as an apartment complex. Following this, a synthesized voice explained how this character, dubbed "Little John," intended to carry out the construction. Within a span of 90 seconds, Little John ingeniously converted the tree into a compact yet luxurious dwelling through a digital display of levitating steel squares, sustainable wood finishes, and anchoring bolts.

The subsequent video, showcasing almost the same computer-generated imagery and featuring a similarly monotone AI voice-over, unfolded the tale of a pair having a billion offspring. This couple, much like Little John, concluded that it was the moment to enhance their living space. Yet, these two clips merely represented the beginning of a much larger phenomenon.

Currently, numerous profiles are sharing these clips on TikTok, and they've gained significant popularity, amassing millions of views. The persona "Little John" has also transformed into a viral meme, inspiring users to create short performances acting as him.

The exploration of how TikTok trends have transformed—or more accurately, regressed—over time proved to be a compelling case study. Initially, the platform was a space where individuals creatively interacted with one another, but it has since morphed into a chaotic realm where the lines between irony and honesty, as well as memes and spam, are so intertwined that it creates a perplexing mix of content that leaves audiences puzzled. In my quest to uncover the creators behind these videos, I anticipated uncovering a bizarre underbelly of fractured social networks, automated content generators, and dubious tactics for boosting engagement lurking beneath the internet's facade. And indeed, that's exactly what I found! Yet, what was even more surprising was the revelation that these videos hadn't actually gained their notoriety through TikTok trends.

In 2022, a new TikTok account by the name of @designer_bob emerged, quickly gaining attention for its unique content. It consistently shared clips that followed a particular theme: tackling bizarre household problems through over-the-top home makeover solutions, all depicted in a distinctively quirky computer-generated imagery style and accompanied by lively royalty-free music. Within just a month, the account achieved viral status with a clip that showcased the creation of a bedroom for four kids, attracting over 10 million views.

Bob's design approach was ideally suited for TikTok's algorithm, which rapidly assesses in mere microseconds what engages viewers and adjusts its recommendations accordingly. The videos possess an enthralling allure. "The narrative is sufficiently bizarre to capture your interest right from the start," mentions Rachel Karten, a social media expert. Moreover, with the unfolding of a home makeover, viewers find themselves compelled to keep watching.

As Designer Bob's content began to capture widespread attention online, a multitude of other users began emulating his style. An account with the handle @dy02449xjp, previously known for posting snippets from early 2000s romantic comedies such as The Proposal and Two Weeks Notice, pivoted to showcasing bizarre home makeover projects in January 2024. In that very month, one of their makeover clips gained extraordinary traction, amassing over 44 million views.

As time passed, the visual appeal and design of these clips began to evolve. Initially, Designer Bob's viral makeover clips were humorous, yet occasionally they appeared as authentic design material. However, the recent clips have become increasingly absurd, featuring more imaginative makeovers, all described by a monotone artificial intelligence voice. This transformation is typical of TikTok’s culture of reimagining content, according to digital culture researcher Alex Turvy.

"He predicts that such trends will continue to escalate in absurdity until they eventually fizzle out."

A particular meme has emerged, focusing solely on "galvanized square steel," leading several users to speculate if the entire trend might actually be a clever advertising strategy for galvanized steel.

"Karten believes that 'lore' is the appropriate term in this context. He explains that videos gain popularity and succeed largely due to the lore associated with them. According to him, lore is what maintains their viral status."

As I continued to view these clips, my curiosity grew about their creator. Specifically, for Designer Bob, the profile description directs to a web shop selling candles and crystals, owned by Whisper Wisp, a firm located in China. Moreover, the Designer Bob Facebook profile mentions Hong Kong as its location in the Page Transparency area. However, it appears improbable that this is a stealth advertising effort for a candle store. The social media platforms of Whisper Wisp don't have nearly the same level of followers as the Designer Bob account does. (Attempts to contact Whisper Wisp for comments went unanswered.)

Information regarding the individual or group operating the Dy02449xjp account remains elusive. A Facebook page exists under the identical handle, posting similar video content. Apart from this, there's a lack of additional links, commercial outlets, or personal details. Should there be any deceptive motives or forthcoming promotions, they have yet to emerge. As it stands, Dy02449xjp seems to be focused solely on generating interaction on TikTok.

Prior to this summer, the origin of these videos appeared to be a mystery.

Numerous profiles adopt a version of the moniker “Home Designs” along with logos featuring a tiny house, closely mirroring the visual identity of an architecture and interior design software known as HomeDesignsAI—a significant hint, in my opinion, in unraveling the puzzle. I managed to get in touch with Denis Madroane, the Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of HomeDesignsAI. Surprisingly, he was equally perplexed by the viral success of these home makeover videos on TikTok.

HomeDesignsAI, a startup originating from Romania, made its debut in 2023. The application enables users to submit a picture of a room or a floor plan and then modify it with the help of artificial intelligence. Madroane has noticed TikTok videos featuring HomeDesignsAI since last year. He mentions that although he and his team found these videos amusing, they haven't observed significant benefits.

Madroane verified that Home-DesignsAI indeed possesses a TikTok profile, albeit not actively engaging in meme culture. The account boasts close to 900 followers, with its most popular video reaching approximately 195,000 views. This might appear satisfactory until you look at the follower and view counts of unauthorized Home-DesignsAI TikTok accounts. The leading one, @homedesign369, attracts a massive 2.4 million followers and secures millions of views on each video consistently.

"Madroane admits that our official account is significantly lagging behind the average figures achieved by content created by users."

However, it appears that the highly popular Little John TikToks were not created with HomeDesignsAI software, leaving the puzzle unresolved. Prior to this summer, the origin of these videos was a mystery to TikTok users. That changed when Candise Lin, a tutor for Cantonese and Mandarin residing in the US, spotted the trending phenomenon and provided the much-needed explanation to puzzled Americans through her own TikTok video.

It appears that the videos we've been watching aren't actually originating from TikTok creators. Instead, they're produced on a different platform entirely. Lin points out that these clips are sourced from Bilibili, which is often regarded as China's version of YouTube. Here, the creator known as Little John on other platforms goes by the name 大壮, or Big John. Surprisingly, "galvanized steel" is a popular search topic. Lin identifies two notable content creators on Bilibili responsible for these videos: one operates under the name 疯狂设计家, translated as Crazy Designer, and the other is known as 设计师王姨, or Designer Aunt Wang. My search also revealed a plethora of additional accounts producing similar content.

The chaotic house makeover clips on TikTok originate from automatically translated content found on Bilibili. It's quite common for Chinese material to cross the Great Firewall in this manner. Content from Douyin, which is TikTok's counterpart in China, frequently finds its way onto TikTok. However, the presence of a mechanical voiceover, odd sentence structures, and Chinese symbols throughout can be attributed to the fact that these videos were not originally produced for an English-speaking audience.

After exploring the content created by Crazy Designer, I managed to rediscover a video that I initially saw on TikTok around June, which featured a couple planning a home for a billion children. This particular video was named "One Billion Children per Room" by Crazy Designer and is part of a collection that includes other videos with titles such as “A Million Children per Room,” “Two Million Children per Room,” and so forth. Upon viewing the video on Bilibili and perusing the comments below, it dawned on me what these videos truly represent: They are essentially parody posts. This twisted take on property showcases is designed to mock the severe housing issues prevalent in cities like Hong Kong and Shanghai, with the audience fully aware and appreciative of the humor.

Ultimately, it seems there's no deception or deliberately orchestrated promotional gimmick involved. What we have are two different communities finding amusement in the same bizarre content created by users, which has been slightly altered by automatic translation software and a few misunderstandings along the way. Lin mentions that users on Bilibili have realized the widespread popularity of Little John videos in Western countries. The idea that Americans are tuning in has left them quite embarrassed.

Additional Content from WIRED

Assessments and Manuals

© 2024 Condé Nast. All rights are reserved. WIRED may receive a share of revenue from items bought via our website, as a component of our Affiliate Agreements with retail partners. Reproduction, distribution, transmission, storage, or any form of usage of the material on this website is strictly prohibited without prior written consent from Condé Nast. Advertising Choices

Choose a global website