TikTok isn’t just your source for simple recipes and wild memes, there’s real information on there too, apparently.
Marcus DiPaola is a TikTok journalist who delivers daily 30-to-60-second news clips. He has 2.5 million followers. Despite the fact that he has no affiliation with any major media outlet, people rely on the freelance writer’s takes on national headlines.
“I want to be the translator from mainstream media to teenagers,” DiPaola told the Washington Post.
How did Marcus DiPaola get famous on TikTok?
It started on election night 2020. As people were eagerly awaiting the results and cable news was slow on updates, he saw an opportunity. DiPaola began posting polling updates every hour using data from FiveThirtyEight’s presidential forecast vertical. He quickly went viral and the rest is history.
He became a meme after posting an awkward video with his girlfriend
On May 4th, DiPaola’s birthday, he shared a video to introduce his girlfriend Brittany to his followers. The unusual angle, with her sitting on his lap and the fact that he did most of the talking inspired a few jokes.
People like @mccurdy.sam started to duet the original video and add a little humor. The user made his arm look like an extension of DiPaola’s so it appeared like the journalist was holding a toy gun to his girlfriend’s head.
It has since spiraled into quite the cinematic masterpiece.
Because TikTok can’t take anything too seriously, DiPaola has been subject to numerous duet jokes.
DiPaola may have gotten twerked on by a senior who goes by @idoitforlaughs.
Then @that_guy_rocc poked fun at DiPaola’s extremely stiff posture.
The user @roddy.a filled in some very intimate blanks when DiPaola recorded a video from his bed.
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