TikTok’s 2024 recap sums up its most demure, mindful year yet

One day after YouTube revealed its top creators and topics of 2024, TikTok followed suit with its own look back at the year that was. The app’s recap of 2024 included references to memes like “very demure” and “brat summer,” both of which got big with help from TikTok’s library of vertical videos.

In a Newsroom post, TikTok outlined the various trends and themes propelled by the 170 million U.S.-based users who contributed to the app’s culture in 2024. “Throughout 2024, TikTok continued to redefine how we discover, create, and connect through the shared language of video,” said TikTok Global Head of Content James Stafford in a statement. “From small businesses launching global brands to creators and artists at the forefront of cultural movements, TikTok is a catalyst for economic growth, cultural trends, and social impact.”

TikTok is still for the culture

Like YouTube, TikTok used its year-end rankings to reflect its status as a driver of pop culture. Both platforms named Tommy Richman‘s “Million Dollar Baby” — a star in memes and summer playlists alike — as their #1 song of the year. Sabrina Carpenter raised her profile by becoming a top search topic on TikTok and YouTube.

TikTok also pointed out some unique ways in which its cultural impact differs from its rivals’ influence. One interesting quirk can be found in the dictionary. “Demure” and “brat” were named the words of the year by Dictionary.com and Collins Dictionary, respectively. Jools Lebron and Charli xcx may have brought those words back to the forefront, but their memetic value increased thanks to TikTok, and the app made sure to note its role as it looked back on the year that was.

Thanks to TikTok, I am very smart

Educational content is an important chess piece for TikTok. As the app battles ban threats in the United States, its ability to generate positive PR is critical, and initiatives like the STEM feed help it drum up positive press.

As the STEM feed continues to roll out to more users, TikTok is touting its ability to deliver high-quality, better-for-you content to millions of viewers. The number of science-related posts on the app is up 45% year-over-year, and the #TeachersOfTikTok hashtag has accumulated more than 5.5 million posts to date.

TikTok’s educational value also extends to the literary world. The first ten months of 2024 brought 1.2 million posts to the #BookTok tag, and with ByteDance setting itself up as a publisher, that number is on track to continue growing in 2025.

In 2024, we TikTok Shopped until we TikTok dropped

Of course, TikTok’s year-end lookback wouldn’t be complete without some words about TikTok Shop. The ecommerce hub received a hefty investment from its parent company in 2024, and the result was a social shopping boom that put millions in creators’ pockets during the recently concluded Black Friday sales.

A stat shared in the year-end recap sums it up best: The number of shoppable streams on TikTok Live nearly tripled year-over-year between 2023 and 2024. That’s great for TikTok, but we should also remind the app that bragging about how much money you make is neither demure nor mindful.