TikTok: The Latest Architecture and News

I saw it on Instagram! It's a phrase we often hear in various contexts, from the latest restaurant recommendations to the trendiest hotel in town. The window to observe and expose ourselves to the outside world now sits in our smartphones. This doesn't necessarily mean it's all doom and gloom. Still, it reflects that we're constantly flooded with data and information segmented by algorithms, all in a super easy-to-consume format. In today's world, it takes only a few seconds to form a lasting impression of a building and its atmosphere—and those first impressions matter more than we often realize.

In her 1959 debut by Mattel, Barbie became a doll that transformed the toy industry and has been a popular culture icon ever since. 3 years later, the first accompanying Barbie Dollhouse was created, a home for Barbie representing her domestic, habitual, and day-to-day life. Over the past 60 years, Barbie Dreamhouses have changed and evolved, each iteration adopting the architectural and design fads of the eras in which they were produced. In fact, each dollhouse is an artifact of the unique blend of history, politics, popular culture, trends, and design styles that define architecture as we know it.

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“How to give your home: Dark Academia vibes” reads the title of a popular YouTube video targeted at homeowners fascinated by the aesthetics relating to liberal education and the arts. A subculture born in the age of social media, Dark Academia is one of many internet aesthetics that have gained prevalence in the last decade. Image-based platforms like Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok have amplified internet aesthetics, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media allows users to support and create their own trends that rapidly amass a following. Today, the creation of aesthetic trends lies in the hands of the general public and will dictate the way interior design trends develop.

TikTok is a social network for sharing short videos that offers extensive features to edit them. It is possible to include filters, subtitles, soundtrack, gifs, make cuts and use creativity at will. As with Instagram and Twitter, you can follow other people's profiles and interact, liking their posts, making comments and even sharing via WhatsApp.