Cartdemic

Submission 20,310

Part of a series on Internet Slang. [View Related Entries]

About

The Cartdemic is a slang term used to describe an era between 2019 and 2021 where several young Gen Z teens in the United States claim to have used unlicensed and unregulated THC vaporizers or "carts." The word "cartdemic" is a play on the term "pandemic," as both these events saw significant overlap. In 2023, TikTokers began making videos talking about how they believed that their speech and intelligence were affected by the "cartdemic," blaming such unregulated THC pens for slurred speech or slowed mental capacity.

Origin

While the earliest uses of the word "cartdemic" can be traced to disparate posts on X (formerly Twitter) from 2022,^[1]^[2] the earliest known notable post using the term was a May 2nd, 2023 TikToker^[3] by @littlelinds7, featuring text that read, "When I try to explain something but I was a victim of the cartdemic of 2019." The post gathered over 1.3 million plays and 190,000 likes in six months (seen below).

Spread

On November 14th, TikToker^[4] @prettydispo posted a similar video, writing, "How I talk cus I was a victim to the cartdemic," gathering over 1.2 million plays and 230,000 likes in a month (seen below, left).

On December 3rd, TikToker^[5] @doa.aydennn posted a clip writing "When my mom is telling me her favorite memory of us but I was a victim to the cartdemic," gathering over 1.2 million plays and 260,000 likes in three weeks (seen below, right).

On December 20th, 2023, TikToker^[6] @proudhater99 posted a video writing, "Me speaking to my sister but she was a victim of the cartdemic," gathering over 900,000 plays and 130,000 likes in a day (seen below, left). Also on December 20th, 2023, TikToker^[7] @txiyon posted a video discussing the "cartdemic" as well, gathering over 62,000 plays in a day (seen below, right).

Also on December 20th, X^[8] user KnoxEndemic reposted prettydispo's TikTok along with a brief explanation of the cartdemic videos on TikTok. Within 24 hours, the video gained over 900,000 views.