Falling Filter (TikTok)

About

Falling Filter refers to a TikTok creative filter called "Loop Me" that repeatedly shows 2D copies of the user falling forward. In March 2022, the filter went viral after a TikToker posted a video of their grandmother physically falling forward after looking at the filter, inspiring TikTokers to attempt to replicate the effects in their own videos by staring at the filter to see if it would cause them to fall over.

Origin

On March 26th, 2022, TikToker^[1] @brunebattistini posted a video where she uses the "Loop Me" filter, which shows a looping stream of 2D copies of the user falling forward, on herself and her grandma. In the video, her grandma points at the camera and then actually falls over. The video garnered over 184 million views in a year (shown below).

Spread

Following the virality of the video, TikTokers began posting their own videos using and staring at the filter to see if they would fall as well. For example, on February 24th, 2023, TikTok^[2] account @merrelltwins posted a video where one twin appears to fall after looking at the filter, garnering over 5.7 million views in four months (shown below, left). On April 19th, TikToker^[3] @thecarlinfamily posted a video where their child appears to fall after looking at the filter, garnering over 22.7 million views in two months (shown below, right).

On May 10th, TikToker^[4] @life.with.tierra tried the filter with her partner but neither fell over, garnering over 338,000 views in a month (shown below). Videos using the filter have also spread online. For example, on June 8th, Tumblr^[5] user tiktoksthataregood-ish posted an example of the trend, garnering over 680 notes in a day.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References