TikTok has become one of the most used social media platforms in the U.S. since it debuted around 2018, sparking viral moments throughout Kentucky, such as this group of residents from Arcadia Senior Living that scored 31 million likes on their video dancing to "Rude Boy" by Rihanna -- and flowers from the pop star.
Born out of former apps, Music.ly and Douyin, TikTok entrenched itself into the digital landscape by providing users with unique content that ranges from viral dance challenges to boosting artists like Lil Nas X and beauty tutorials. Its uncanny algorithm ushers users into personalized bubbles, creating niches on "for you" pages, like capybara-tok and witch-tok. The platform has also been the source of controversy among lawmakers regarding its security and sparked ethical debates about topics like artificial intelligence.
A report from Pew Research showed that 67% of teens use TikTok while those who use Facebook plummeted from 71% to 32% since a study from 2014-2015.
Kentuckians of all kinds have made a name for themselves on the social media site. Here's a look at a few of the popular TikTokers with ties to the commonwealth.
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@brandy_billy
@brandy_billy follows the adventures of Brandy and Billy Engle who live in Richmond, Kentucky. They're a couple that's fond of playing pranks on each other, like the time Brandy put glue on her feet and asked Billy to rub them or when Billy told Brandy she had bad breath. The pair have amassed more than 4 million followers and 111 million likes on the site.
@goldenretrieverdad
@goldenretrieverdad is run by Dan Crockett from Lexington, Kentucky. With about a million followers, Crockett's videos about life with five golden retrievers − Hopper, Zuzu, Dottie, Fray and Sherman − have collected more than 15 million likes. Crockett often makes videos of his dogs along with trending sounds, like this one about Hopper getting vacuumed on his birthday or this one of his dogs walking accompanied by a voiceover track of the "Wobble."
@huntergarner55
@huntergarner55 is a self-proclaimed "Kentucky boy" with more than 800,000 followers and more than 14 million likes by posting videos of himself trying crazy basketball shots, like this one from a church parking lot or when he tries to sink a ball into a cornhole board.
@appalachian_forager
Whitney Johnson is from Lawrence County, and that's where she's built a following of more than 700,000 as the @appalachian_forager. Johnson has 9 million likes on her humorous videos that feature her hunting mushrooms then cooking with them along with making plant-based products in her Eastern Kentucky home.
@tayloraustindye
Taylor Austin Dye is a country singer with "KY roots and Nashville boots," as she writes in her bio. Dye is originally from the "hollers of Eastern Kentucky" and has a little more than 550,000 followers and 5.5 million likes. The "Rest in Peace" singer posts shorts from music videos that she dubs "murder country" alongside "get ready with me" style clips.
@tinyvillagegirl
Lennox Brinks lives alongside her parents and brother in their village of tiny homes in London, Kentucky, and created an account dedicated to the tiny home lifestyle. Brinks has almost 550,000 followers with more than 22.5 million likes. She posts videos of life in the village synced with popular audio, like this quick tour of the property with "World's Smallest Violin" by AJR and this video about when she got news that the family was moving.
@watchkittyshrink
Jessica Adkins is the creator behind @watchkittyshrink, billed as the "CEO of Appalachian accents" in her bio. Adkins started on Instagram by sharing content about her weight loss journey, which involved gastric sleeve surgery. She has since branched out to TikTok, where she's gained nearly 400,000 followers and 8 million likes. She makes some content about her weight loss journey, but her videos focus mainly on food and life after weight loss.
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@carlypearce
@carlypearce is one of the Bluegrass State's country music gems. Originally from Taylor Mill, Pearce has more than 300,000 followers on her videos about life as a rising country music star. Pearce mostly posts clips from shows with a few behind-the-scenes videos, like when she calls her mom about winning her first Grammy Award or playing with her pups.
@timmytychildersmusic
@timmytychildersmusic is the official account for country singer Tyler Childers, who grew up in Lawrence County. He's performed on stages including Bonnaroo, the Grand Ole Opry, Lollapalooza, Merlefest and Newport Folk Festival during his career. Childers' account, managed by WhizzbangBAM!, according to the bio, has more than 370,000 followers with a little more than a million likes on videos of artist interviews and performance clips.
@ashleyshaeandsi
@ashleyshaeandsi is run by lesbian couple Ashley-Shae Benton and Sierra Hanco*ck, both from Kentucky. The couple has more than 300,000 followers on the site and their videos have 11 million likes. Benton and Hanco*ck mostly feature content about their relationship, like this video about a surprise trip to Disney World and spilling secrets to your girlfriend's dad.
@khaotickayleee
Kaylee calls herself "ur fav fat girl" in her bio and has more than 200,000 followers and 11 million likes. Kaylee gained her following by posting videos about Appalachian culture and zeroing in on life's relatable moments with a chaotic twist, like her video about wanting to stay up late ... to have a "little time to giggle." Her humor even landed her a spot interviewing folks at the Kentucky Theatre's premiere of "Cocaine Bear," the story about Kentucky's "favorite party animal."
@kentuckyforkentucky
On their bio, @kentuckyforkentucky bills themselves as the "defenders of the commonwealth. With more than a million likes and 170,000 followers, their content ranges from reposting popular Appalachian creators like @khaotickayleee to explanations of creepy Bluegrass folklore, including Derby City's own Waverly Hills Sanatorium − and there's plenty of Cocaine Bear content. The account is run by the same folks who created the locally famous "Y'all" merch. They also have a brick-and-mortar shop at 720 Bryan Ave. in Lexington.
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Contact reporter Rae Johnson at RNJohnson@gannett.com. Follow them on Twitter at @RaeJ_33.
