In a recent newsletter, Ryan Broderick explained what he called "the couch guy thing," a piece of viral TikTok content involving a random college guy on a couch being filmed as he is ostensibly surprised by a visit from his girlfriend. The video, Broderick writes, set off an "absolute torrent of Couch Guy conspiracy theories" in comments and other associated follow-up content. No surprises here: a piece of content made for a platform that lives and dies by "engagement" succeeded in generating lots of engagement, which is why it came to Broderick's attention in the first place. As all content on TikTok is made for engagement, so the best consumption of it must also manifest as engagement.
Couch guy
Couch guy
Couch guy
In a recent newsletter, Ryan Broderick explained what he called "the couch guy thing," a piece of viral TikTok content involving a random college guy on a couch being filmed as he is ostensibly surprised by a visit from his girlfriend. The video, Broderick writes, set off an "absolute torrent of Couch Guy conspiracy theories" in comments and other associated follow-up content. No surprises here: a piece of content made for a platform that lives and dies by "engagement" succeeded in generating lots of engagement, which is why it came to Broderick's attention in the first place. As all content on TikTok is made for engagement, so the best consumption of it must also manifest as engagement.