Coronavirus becomes a TikTok trend – forget awareness, they are there ‘just for laughs’

• While governments and institutions are emphasizing on the importance of the ‘right’ awareness regarding COVID 19, Indian TikTok creators seem to portray a different picture.
• Coronavirus has become a trending topic on the platform.
• TikTok, however, runs a ticker below the videos saying “consult your local health authorities for the latest on COVID-19”.

The Coronavirus pandemic has got people across the world worried. Offices are facilitating remote working, schools are shut, weddings cancelled and tourism has come to a grinding halt.

But for TikTokers, it’s a ‘trend’.

While governments and institutions are emphasizing on the importance of the ‘right’ awareness regarding COVID 19, Indian TikTok creators seem to portray a different picture.

TikTok, however, runs a ticker below the videos saying “consult your local health authorities for the latest on COVID-19”.

‘Coronavirus’ has become a trending topic on TikTok, the popular platform for short-form mobile videos. Indian creators have taken to the platform to share funny content, most of which reduce the global epidemic into a laughing matter.

@ummey_khansa

Haila haila hua hua 😂 ##comedy ##funny ##coronavirus with @shamakhanaap ❤️

♬ original sound - 🌸Ummey Khansa🌸

In one of the videos, people are seen running away from a user who pretends to have just returned from China in the morning.

@shadabtrecool1

Corona virus ##china ##coronavirus ##foryou ##SeekDontHide

♬ original sound - Asrat Ali

Another video shows a boy telling his friends to stay away from him because he has Coronavirus, but when his girlfriend arrives he takes it as the opportune moment to take the ‘Coronavirus revenge’ to pass it on to her as well. Ironically, at the same time the user uses the hashtag “#stopcorona”.

@funbucketbhargav

Its Corona Virus Revenge time 😂😂 WAIT 4 TWIST 😂😂 @actually_sumaayaa @actorpreetham @burra_paadu ##stopcorona ##corona ##coronavirus

♬ original sound - FunBucket Bhargav

These videos have cropped up across the platform where some are even urging people to stay safe but also to ‘enjoy the video’.

@roshgupta_

Be aware of coronavirus. Stay safe😇🙏 till then enjoy the video 😂😂♥️ @aashikabhatia 🌹 ##teamnawab ##foryou ##viral ##fyp ##comedy ##trending

♬ original sound - R O S H A N

On March 1, the World Health Organization had also joined TikTok to spread awareness regarding COVID-19. Since then, it has launched multiple awareness videos on the app and has over 314,000 followers.

India is a massive market for TikTok and became the second most downloaded app in 2019. According to reports, TikTok has a monthly active user count of 81 million.

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