What Is The 'Subtle Foreshadowing' Meme? The Meaning Of The Viral 'Non-Linear Storytelling' TikTok Trend Explained

Spoiler warnings are being thrown off the table with TikTok's massively viral "subtle foreshadowing" meme trend recently.

The trend, which sees users splicing the climax of a given video sporadically throughout the video itself, is quickly spreading online, with even brand accounts jumping on it.

But what exactly does "subtle foreshadowing" mean, how did it start and why is it a thing? Here's what you need to know.

What Is The 'Subtle Foreshadowing' Meme?

In mid-September 2024, the non-linear storytelling meme was started on Instagram. The meme sees users upload edits of popular funny videos, often fail videos, in which the climax of the video being presented flashes onto the screen at random intervals.

This effectively spoils what's going to happen in the video you're watching in an enticing way, encouraging viewers to keep watching to see how the video ends up at the shown climax.

The trend has been compared to YTPs edits thanks to the erratic and fast editing. While the trend started in mid-September, participants in the trend started using the phrase "subtle foreshadowing" alongside the videos near the end of the month, becoming very popular in October 2024.

The phrase is used ironically, often as a title or in the video's description, to reference the very not-subtle way the memes explicitly show viewers the ending of the video from the get-go.

How Is 'Subtle Foreshadowing' Used In Memes?

The catchphrase "subtle foreshadowing" is used in different ways on different platforms to signal to the viewer that they're watching a non-linear storytelling meme.

On TikTok, the phrase is often captioned directly in examples of the meme, floating over the edit. On Reddit, it's used as a title, whereas on X, it's often used when users repost versions of the meme.

"Subtle foreshadowing" has arguably become a much more well-known name for the meme than "non-linear storytelling." It's even being used by brand accounts like the Peppa Pig Instagram page, which recently posted a version of the meme using an episode of the show to over 74,000 likes in just two days.

For the full history of subtle foreshadowing, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.