With many of us homebound and in the mood to master new media formats (“one-minute videos—how tough can that be?”), there’s now time to become TikTok famous and share messages of global importance. Just figure out an entertaining-slash-subversive way to do so—perhaps a dance challenge?—and the potential for hundreds of thousands of views around the world is there.
Of course, if you aren’t exactly eager to put yourself on display on an app with 800 million active users (that’s been deemed too risky by the military to use) and you don’t even want to download the thing, you can still view TikTok videos from the actual website when you need moments of light or levity.
It’s not as easy or comprehensive to search TikTok from online versus inside the app, but we can get you started by recommending our current favorite San Francisco accounts. (Click on the names for more from them.) Where you decide to rabbit hole from there is up to you.
The co-founder and CEO of Wrecking Ball Coffee has not only taught TikTok viewers how to make a perfect pour over, he’s been slyly and hilariously commenting on the uptick of racism against Asians (and particularly mask culture) over the past few months.
@nickcho_Asians know this life! ##coronavirus ##covid19 ##facemask ##facialmask ##n95 ##happyathome ##korean ##yourkoreandad♬ Coronavirus Check – 7eer
Brandon Tran normally takes luscious food photos at San Francisco restaurants and shares street style tips from his Instagram account, but he’s taken this time at home to shine on TikTok, where he’s still dressed to the nines and showing the advantages of focusing on one hue mood at a time.
@dopensteezIMA SAVAGE ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜##tiktokfashion ##savagechallenge ##mensstyle ##fyp ##viral ##foryourpage ##foryou ##myoutfit ##outfitchange♬ Savage – Megan Thee Stallion
This SF sculptor’s trippy, viscous drip sandcastles transport us back to a simpler time on the Pacific Coast and beyond. Maxson’s usual medium is think sheet metal, which he folds and cuts into exact replicas of flowers and vines—but he’s equally adept at conjuring surreal and alien beachside worlds.
@kirkmaxson##dripsand ##sandcastle ##sandart ##oddlysatisfying ##satisfying ##beachbum ##beachlover ##kineticksand ##tutorial ##sandy♬ original sound – kirkmaxson
Photographer and co-founder of Explorest, Michael Lax has been sharing eerily dramatic cinematic scenes from his “Coronavirus lockdown,” which includes regular trips to the ocean and horse patrols of his neighborhood.
@michaellaxphotoWho else saw today’s 🌈 in the Bay? ##coronavirus ##sf ##sanfrancisco ##bayarea ##california♬ Crimson and Clover – Long Version – Tommy James & The Shondells
Olly B. lives with his amazing mom, and she is the undisputed star of his TikTok account when they play games like “Name That Celebrity” and she calls Destiny’s Child, “Destiny’s Children,” for example. They’ll get through this quarantine with lots of love and lots of laughs to share.
@otakoyakisobaName That Celebrity Part 29: 90’s/2000’s Popstars Edition with my Mom. ##fyp ##foryou♬ original sound – otakoyakisoba
We haven’t found as much local drag as we think should be on TikTok, but the 12th place finisher in RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12 contestant serves “comedy, makeup and death drops”—if you’re unfamiliar, the latter is a term for a punctuating move in the vogue battle culture, rather than anything sinister.
@rockmsakuraIs mayonnaise an instrument? 🎺🎺🎺🎺🎺 ##rockmsakura ##fyp ##UltraSmoothMoves
A female Samoyed from San Francisco, Coconut Rice Bear caught our eye when she got a new “tiger sibling” during the height of Tiger King mania. If you don’t have at least one adorable animal to obsess over in your TikTok consumption, you’re doing it wrong.
@coconutricebearWe maybe apart, but we’re in this together! Luv ya! ##samoyed ##inspirational ##uplifting ##peptalk ##dogsoftiktok ##tiktokdogs ##doggo♬ original sound – coconutricebear
