If you’re old enough to have jammed out to Kesha’s Tik Tok then you’re likely considered “the older generation” by those on TikTok the app.
It started as an app named Musical.ly, and it was essentially Instagram for amateur music videos. People would lip-sync to popular songs, sharing their videos while the algorithm curated ones it thought the user would like, displaying them on the “For You” page.
TikTok today is essentially the same app. Except, as is the nature of the internet, it has evolved and spiralled.
People post short films, art, political rants, fashion, vlogs, dogs, food, recipes, dances, tutorials, memes, international news, original music, AND … lip-syncs to popular songs.
Today TikTok is worth an estimated $50 billion. It has launched young Aussies like Peach PRC and The Inspired Unemployed into international stardom.
Even in Canberra, we have our own TikTok-famous creators. @Chefsanddogs and @Oneminmicro sat down with CW to explain their corners of Canberra TikTok.
If you have downloaded the app, it’s highly likely you’ve come across @Chefsanddogs.
Canberra-born Daniel Tomas was a people-chef for 10 years before grabbing the attention of 2.3 million followers for his videos creating incredible, healthy, gourmet meals for dogs.
Under nearly every video you can find the “your dog eats better than I do!” comment.
“We started with a little bit of cooking content and moved towards our goal of spreading awareness of the benefits of fresh food for dogs, wanting to show that cooking for your pet isn’t as scary as it seems,” Daniel says.
“Suddenly we were getting messages from pet parents all over the world, wanting to introduce a bit of fresh food into their bowls.
“Nowadays you’ll find a lot of pet parents treating their pets better than their kids,” he laughs.
What has now become a successful business started off with a troubling diagnosis when Daniel’s kelpie dog, Joey, fell ill and wasn’t responding to medicine.
“We tried steroids, creams, and were running out of options. We came across a holistic vet who recommended introducing a bit of fresh food into his diet, and we just fell in love with the success.”
Joey is happy and healthy to this day, and often features on the channel.
Daniel says while he and his partner had a vague goal of raising awareness of the benefits of fresh pet food, their ethos was more along the lines of ‘if we can change just one pet parent’s mind …’
“This was something we never thought of, so we knew other pet parents might not have thought of it either.
“You can give a little more love than a scoop of dry dog food, even if it’s a little bit here and there.”
Daniel receives thankful messages from pet parents all over the world, reporting softer coats, and better overall health in their fur babies.
However, there’s no contest to who his favourite response was from.
“Gordon Ramsey duetted a @Chefsanddogs TikTok!” he exclaims. “I have never been more excited to get roasted by someone; he’s definitely an idol of mine.”
Interestingly, Daniel also has an audience without pets, scrolling through his page for the cute pups and ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) sounds of the kitchen.
@Oneminmicro’s Walt has lived on the border between Queanbeyan and the ACT since 2018.
His channel is like an amalgamation of David Attenborough and Backyard Science, recently hitting 1 million followers.
Under his microscope, he creates 60-second mini-documentaries on the world’s tiniest lifeforms.
“I’ve always had a fascination with bugs, ever since I can remember.
“Seeing something with the equivalent of a heart and a brain just go about its business on a micro scale is absolutely mind-blowing,” he tells CW.
Walt had dreamt of making videos that capture what he could see under the scope since gaining his PhD in medicinal chemistry but “didn’t have the film equipment or editing skills”.
“Then TikTok comes along, with its super simple inbuilt editing software … It was the final piece of the puzzle for @Oneminmicro to come to life.”
Today he uses his donations from the app to pay it forward, purchasing microscopes for a handful of parents who have reached out for help in fostering their children’s love of science.
“The driving force for me in creating this channel was providing education. Sometimes in school, students can be disengaged. But passing on knowledge to the generation that’s coming up, teaching them about a sustainable future is still so important,” he says.
“Through TikTok, you’re meeting them on their level, rather than speaking down to them.”
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