Members of Alpha Xi Delta at the University of South Carolina were shocked when a video they posted to the chapter’s TikTok account began to explode. A million views, then a few million more.
TikTok is now certifiably viral: it has 8.1 million views. That’s more than 200 times the number of students enrolled at USC and 3 million more than the entire population of South Carolina.
It also garnered nearly 900,000 likes and more than 14,500 comments. He was the favorite of almost 30,000 people.
“POV: Your party is ending but the black beatles are starting to play,” the TikTok caption read.
The video was an ode to 2016’s viral “Mannequin Challenge,” which featured people frozen in action as Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” played.
The idea of creating his own version started as a joke but soon became a reality. Chapter president Amanda Pometti said she loves “throwbacks” and was inspired to do TikTok by other sororities.
Rachel Bowling, who runs the account and shot the video, said it was done in one shot and took 30 seconds.
“We didn’t think anything of it,” Pometti said. “We didn’t think it would go viral.”
It gave viewers a glimpse into sorority life at USC and AXiD’s home on campus, the women said. Documenting sorority spirit week and recruiting, especially in southern state schools, has grown in popularity over the past year. Whether it’s dancing, sharing outfits of the day, or participating in social media trends, TikTok users eat it all up.
“Our girls were very excited,” Pometti said. “He was proud of us for being able to go viral and represent USC. … he gave USC some attention.”
During the week of recruitment, some of those running had seen the video. Bowling said they received great feedback.
Some comments poked fun at the sorority, while others were reminiscent of internet trends of yesteryear. But USC was quick to get its students excited.
“Instant girls. I think you dropped something. OUR JAW”, commented the official account of the USC.
Alexa Jurado reports on the University of South Carolina for The State. She is from suburban Chicago and is a recent graduate of Marquette University. Alexa previously wrote for publications in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Source: www.thestate.com