Sophomore Jada Robison rose to social media stardom with a popular online video. During 2 0 19 , Tik.Tok grew in popularity as a social media platform. Users were drawn to the platform because it offered a space where people did not take themselves too seriously and interacted with people across the country or on the other side of the globe. Harding students took a particular interest in the app, and some found online success through it. Sophomore public relations major Jada Robison started using TikTok in July 2019. She said it was her dream to "make it big" in the social media world and originally made a TikTok account because she thought it was an effective way to accumulate a following before transitioning to a YouTube channel. After using TikTok for a month, her account spiked in popularity when she uploaded a video that received over 327,000 likes. Robison said that after this, her account gained momentum and received sporadic attention in smaller doses. However, shortly after the start of the fall 2019 semester, Robison's video went viral and received over one million likes. In the video, Robison personified the zipper on a fellow TikTok user's jacket. She said she never expected the video to gain the popularity it did. Once the video gained traction, Robison was affectionately known as "Zipper Girl" among the TikTok community. "It's just so funny how it happened, because I was having the worst day," Robison said. "The only thing I wanted to do was put a sweater over my head and move around, so that's what I did." Robison said after her TikTok video went viral, she considered what she wanted her social media brand or reputation to be. To Robison, making a name for herself was not only about gaining followers or likes, but she also wanted to use it as a platform to spread positivity and encouragement. "I kind of want to be different," Robison said. "I want to be interactive. I want to spread love and positivity to everyone." "I want to spread love and positivity to everyone." Sophomore Jewel Gilbert started using TikTok in early January 2019 and said she was one ofRobison's first followers. The women were acquaintances before using TikTok but interacted and grew closer through the app. Gilbert aid she was drawn to Robison's upbeat, positive disposition. "Sometimes, if I'm just having a bad day, I go to Jada's profile," Gilbert said. Senior Macey Vaught used TikTok and posted a few videos that became popular. When referring to Robison, she also noticed the positive impact she had. "She's always just posting very funny videos, and she wants to make people laugh," Vaught said. "I don't think that it's for her own benefit necessarily, but she just wants to spread joy and positivity into their lives." story by Madison Scott people 153
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==