During the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021, viral clips and memes also spread in social media, but according to Måns Johansson at the Internet Foundation, this year's Olympic Games have had a greater impact on Tiktok, partly because more news media have joined the app.
It means that a lot more Olympic content is being posted now. It's hard to miss that the Olympic Games are on if you're on Tiktok, he says and continues:
The image production at this year's Olympic Games is also very good. There is a lot of great image material, which also makes it easier to create memes.
Another reason for the viral Olympic snacks may be that the athletes themselves share content from the competitions and the Olympic Village.
There is an enormous amount to draw from different cultures meeting, funny sports, and strong emotional expressions. That's the Olympic strength.
Here are some of the biggest Tiktok snacks from this year's Olympic Games:
+ Swimmer's love for chocolate muffins
Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen has become known as "the muffin man" thanks to Tiktok. It all started when he rated the food in the Olympic Village and gave a chocolate muffin top marks. Since then, he has shared about ten sketches about the Olympic Village's muffins, all of which have received millions of views.
+ Ilona Maher – Olympic Games or "Love Island"?
American rugby player Ilona Maher has long been big on Tiktok, with over 2 million followers. One of her clips went viral when she compared the Olympic Games to the reality show "Love Island", and referred to the Olympic Village as the "Love Island villa".
In a later video, she revealed that her teammate Naya Tapper had managed to hook up with another Olympic participant. "Already successful in the villa", she wrote in the video.
+ Shooting success
Air pistol shooting has received a lot of attention on Tiktok, not least after Turkey's Yusuf Dikeç became a viral success when he, unlike his competitors, didn't wear any protective gear except for a pair of regular glasses and earplugs, and shot with one hand in his pocket.
South Korean Kim Yeji is also being noticed for her shooting style, and has been dubbed the Olympic style icon by style magazine GQ, thanks to her shooting glasses and caps. On Tiktok and X, video clips of her are spreading, and Elon Musk has said that she should get a role in an action film.
"Snooplympics"
American rapper Snoop Dogg has attracted attention as NBC's expert commentator throughout the Olympic Games, from carrying the torch during the opening ceremony to competing against some of the biggest stars.
"Mondo" or Chalamet?
In social media, the similarities between pole vaulter Armand Duplantis and actor Timothée Chalamet have been discovered.
"Timothée Chalamet with muscles", writes a Tiktok user under a clip where Duplantis competes.
"I unfortunately didn't make it to the Olympic Games"
On Tiktok, a trend is also spreading where users share videos from sports competitions showing why they didn't make it to this year's Olympic Games. Under the search "I unfortunately didn't make it to the Olympic Games", users can be seen, among other things, doing belly flops and tripping over hurdles.
