(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
The latest trend blowing up on TikTok is something known as “Subtle Foreshadowing,” and it’s chaotic in a uniquely modern way.
Effectively, users take a famous internet scene (often a fail video) and then splice its ending throughout the recording. Sounds confusing? Well, the easiest way to get your head around it is simply to watch one:
As with most memes or TikTok trends though, the “Subtle Foreshadowing” fad is more than a cheap laugh, it’s a way of reinterpreting media, and is a reflection of how the internet has shaped a new generation.
Let’s dive in.
Just how popular is the “Subtle Foreshadowing” TikTok trend?
At the time of writing, the “Subtle Foreshadowing” or “Non-Linear Storytelling” videos are wracking up millions and millions of views across various social networks.
Often, they take already popular videos—such as the recent “Gorilla Suit Guy Punch Video”—and completely reimagine it by chopping it up:
TikTok users are also diving into the internet’s past with their “Subtle Foreshadowing” edits. One such example with over three-and-a-half million views at the time of writing is a re-splicing of Brandon Farris’ famed tarantula piece from 2019.
Beyond that, the “Subtle Foreshadowing” trend has also been turned onto traditional television. For example, this specific edit is from The Idol, where The Weeknd’s character slaps someone:
Between them, the three videos mentioned in this section have combined views of over 10 million on TikTok alone. There are plenty more examples out therewith this trend also appearing on Twitter/X in droves. Here’s one such video:
Why are the “Subtle Foreshadowing” videos popular? And what do they mean?
The “Subtle Foreshadowing” TikTok trend doesn’t exist in a vacuum. In fact, one of the reasons the videos are so popular is they’re a reflection of how a new generation engages with media and art.
While the “Subtle Foreshadowing” videos might seem incomprehensible at first, in reality, they’re a clever evolution of a historic form of humor.
The most traditional joke around involves a punchline, a twist that upends expectations and repositions what was said or happened before. This is the core aspect of the unedited fail videos we saw being changed above: there’s a normal scene, say someone eating a peach cobbler, and then something unexpected happens, like a pot being thrown at them.
The “Subtle Foreshadowing” trend dispenses of this old school structure. The unexpected scene, the punchline if you will, is repeatedly spliced into the video itself, destroying the traditional flow.
This creates a sense of cognitive dissonance where we become more concerned with how we get to the punchline, rather than the punchline itself. The “Subtle Foreshadowing” videos are a subversion of not just our expectations, but our sense of narrative itself.
Just by looking at this photo, you know this old school comedian Jimmy Durante knew his way around a … [+]
But why? What’s driving people to create and connect with art in this way? Well, much of this can be tied back to the influence of technology.
TikTok is predominately a young person’s platform. 25% of users on the platform are between 10 and 19, while 47.4% of are under 30. The social network, then, is driven by digital nativespeople who grew up in an era where the online world was inescapable.
These younger generations were raised in situations where information came at them from all angles. While Gen X grew up doing most things in a linear fashion, maybe reading a newspaper or watching a TV station, younger people are more likely to get input from multiple places.
For example, 83% of Gen Z students use multiple screens at once and own, on average, four devices each. This means it’s more common, say, to listen to music on a phone, play a game on the computer, and watch a YouTube video on a tablet simultaneously than it ever was before.
What this creates compared to older generations is a more non-linear way of viewing the world. Things can be understood without needing a solid start and finish point — and this is where the “Subtle Foreshadowing” trend comes in.
These videos are a reflection of how younger people view the world, one that is layered in irony and doesn’t have a traditional narrative. Instead, it’s a counter to the way things used to be done, and evidence that the new generations are creating art that’s continually upending our expectations.
Long may it continue.
