Distance Tok

Submission 10,023

Part of a series on TikTok Photo Slideshows / Photo Mode. [View Related Entries]

About

Distance Tok, also known as DistanceTok, refers to a photo slideshow trend on TikTok in which TikTokers show far away things, like city skylines and mountains, in blurry, zoomed-in photos in an attempt to amaze people by proving that tall structures can be seen from seemingly impossible distances. The slideshows use the song "Light Club" by Blizzard which gives a distressing and creepy vibe. Originally an astronomy trend, Distance Tok grew a reputation for being nonsensical as some of the slideshows drew grand conclusions, seeing things that weren't there. In turn, parodies of Distance Tok surfaced that became increasingly absurd and hyperbolic.

Origin

On May 6th, 2022, TikToker^[1] @xsfarchives posted a video that used a slowed remix of Blizzard's "Light Club" that became a TikTok sound.^[2] The sound was predominantly used by creators on TikTok^[3]^[4] in 2023, who posted photo slideshows pointing out astronomy phenomena.

On February 26th, 2024, TikToker^[5] @carlosbarrero_ used the sound for a slideshow that included photos of Chicago's skyline seen from across Lake Michigan (originally taken by photographer Joshua Nowicki^[6] in 2015). Over 16 days, the slideshow received roughly 15 million plays and 1.4 million likes (recording shown below).

Spread

Going into March 2024, earnest iterations of so-called "Distance Tok" surfaced using the sound.^[2] For instance, on March 2nd, 2024, TikToker^[7] @carlosbarrero_ posted a new slideshow showing Mt. Everest from north India, gaining over 15.8 million plays and 3.2 million likes in 11 days (recording shown below, left).

On March 10th, 2024, TikToker^[8] @si_schools posted a video in which they claimed to see the New York skyline from Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont via three different photos, gaining over 363,500 plays and 24,700 likes in three days (shown below, right).

Seemingly far-fetched Distance Tok slideshows then inspired parodies in March 2024. For instance, on March 10th, 2024, TikToker^[9] @jums300 posted a slideshow about seeing a Chick-fil-A location from across the road, gaining over 2.2 million plays and 230,400 likes in three days (recording shown below, left).

On March 12th, 2024, TikToker^[10] @jj3948 posted a similar slideshow about seeing a "View of Red Colored Pencil from Earbuds" gaining over 1.2 million plays and 138,900 likes in a day (recording shown below, right).