People go viral on TikTok every day, but few understand why some videos catch fire and others flop. How did the fusion of Paul Anka’s 1959 song about delicate gestures of love (“Put Your Head On My Shoulder”) and Doja Cat’s sultry 2019 instrumental (“Streets”) inspire endless video streams of people undressing behind a red silhouette filter, catapulting both songs to viral supremacy? Why does a TikTok account for Daisy, a Golden Retriever, have 1.4 million likes? Was it the timing of the #silhouettechallenge posts? Is it America’s meme-driven obsession with man’s best friend?
