Students partake in viral TikTok challenge

The app TikTok has grown in popularity over the past year, becoming a widely-used app throughout the pandemic and quarantines. The app features short videos anywhere from five seconds to a full minute, where users can watch dances, story-tellings and see friends and influencers partake in popular challenges. 

One of the more popular challenges or games is to drive around and make a video featuring a different store or business with each letter of the alphabet. Junior Myah Brinker and senior Lex Hesse are two of the latest participants in this challenge, spending a whole night making a TikTok video. 

“This challenge took us an entire night, probably around three-four hours,” Brinker said. “We decided to do this challenge because we thought it would be a fun way to spice up driving around. Although driving around aimlessly can be fun, having a purpose and getting to stop at various places around Cedar Falls was a lot of fun.”

Hesse said that the challenge was just a fun way to involve the app on a regular night. “We decided to try the challenge because Myah and I were both very bored one night. We need out of the house. We had been wanting to hangout, but there isn’t much to do with COVID. We had seen the challenge on TikTok and decided to just go for it.”

Both students said that the challenge was fun, but exhausting at the same time. For Hesse, getting to spend time with a friend was the best part. “My favorite part of the challenge was when we were scrambling to finish. The thrill of trying to beat the clock was great. We also had a funny moment where we completely forgot we had already taken a picture with the letter Y, so we quickly parked the car in the middle of a street in my neighborhood when we saw a street sign with the letter Y,” Hesse said. “I remember jumping out of the car before it even stopped. Then as Myah and I went to put together a TikTok, we found the original Y picture, so that was funny.”

Brinker said that it was a rush, but definitely felt like they were pushing time. “I honestly wasn’t sure what we would find for some of the more difficult letters, but being able to spend time with one another while fully completing the challenge was my favorite part,” Brinker said.

As for the future, Hesse said that the challenge was fun enough that she’d be willing to try another. “I’d be down to do another TikTok challenge like that in the future, especially if it were a challenge like this that you do with friends that isn’t negative,” Hesse said. “I just enjoyed spending time with a close friend of mine. In between signs, Myah and I talked nonstop. This is common for us, we always find something to talk about. It was a great escape for a few hours.”