MidReal Story

Viral Conspiracy: Unraveling TikTok's Downfall

Scenario:TikTok is destroyed
Create my version of this story
TikTok is destroyed

Emma Johnson

chat_icon

Alex Chen

chat_icon

Ryan Patel

chat_icon
I woke up on an average Tuesday, ready for an average day.
Little did I know that my life was about to change—and not for the better.
I don’t know what woke me up that morning.
It sure as hell wasn’t my phone alarm.
I reached over and slapped my phone screen, my thumb pressing the notification from my clock app that said ā€œIs this the time you want to wake up?ā€
I grunted and pressed the OK button, then tapped the screen to silence the alarm.
I didn’t roll out of bed, though.
I opened my phone and scrolled through my notifications, checking my blog stats and social media account notifications from the night before.
My tech blog had a decent following, mostly from people Alex and I had met at tech conventions and a few random followers along the way.
My TikTok account, on the other hand, had taken off a couple of months ago when I posted a funny video of a robot that played the violin.
Since then, all my videos went viral with hundreds of thousands of views.
I was still a little bitter that a cat who painted with his paw beat me out on follower count, but I was slowly catching up.
Alex was still in the lead for most followers of someone I knew in real life, but I was determined to catch up with him and pass him.
I had even started collaborating with other tech bloggers to get more followers and views.
When I finally reached the end of my overnight notifications, I rolled out bed and stretched my arms over my head, hearing my back crack.
My blog reminder popped up as I tossed my comforter over the bed and headed into the bathroom to get ready for the day.
It was going to be a good one.
As I brushed my teeth, I checked my phone one last time before setting it down on the counter, then picked up my electric toothbrush and put it in my mouth.
A few minutes later, I set it down again and checked my notifications one more time before heading back into my room to get dressed for the day.
I was still scrolling through everything when Ryan walked into my room carrying his laptop.
Dude, you have got to see this,ā€ he said, setting his computer down on my desk.
I didn’t even look up from my screen as he crossed over to me.
He leaned over me, trying to look at what I was looking at, but I pulled my phone closer to my chest and turned my body away from him.
ā€œI have a blog post to write,ā€ I said, then clicked on my WordPress app and started a new post.
A few minutes later, Alex walked in eating a bowl of cereal, milk dribbling down his chin as he took a big bite and the sound of his spoon scraping against the bottom of his bowl filled the room.
ā€œDude, gross,ā€ Ryan said, wrinkling his nose and leaning into the chair I was sitting in so he could get closer to Alex.
ā€œSorry, I’m hungry,ā€ Alex said, setting the bowl down on the desk and wiping his face with his forearm, leaving a streak of milk on his cheek.
ā€œWhat’s up?ā€
I asked, finally looking away from my phone as Ryan grabbed my shoulder and shook me.
ā€œWhat have you been doing all morning?ā€
he asked, his voice rising in pitch as he waited for an answer.