Most popular 2024 TikTok trends in Ireland include demure, brat summer and gen z marketing script
Ellen O'Donoghue
Garron Noone, Rachel Galvo and Eoin Lynch were among the top Irish TikTok stars for 2024.
The social media app released its year in review on Tuesday, featuring the biggest trends and creators over the past 12 months.
TikTok compiled a list of the biggest trending moments and stars from the platform this year, and Ireland's own dedicated list had some easily recognisable additions.
Brat summer, demure and man in finance made the list for the top trends.
Other notable mentions include the viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng, and the Charli XCX inspired 'Apple' dance.
The biggest trends in Ireland were demure, for someone who feels very cutesy, the gen z marketing script and, of course, brat summer.
Small businesses also noted a boost off the back of their videos, with SOS Cookies, The Matcha Bar and Dundalk Credit Union all getting a mention for their engagement.
Elaine Fitzsimons' café, The Matcha Bar in Dublin, got a mention on the list of top businesses, and she told Newstalk that the lack of “pressure to be perfect,” on TikTok attracted her to the app.
“Other platforms have more of an expectation to curate products and to look a certain way and the aesthetic, whereas what I love about TikTok is it’s just very behind the scenes, the raw and the real and the authenticity is rewarded on TikTok, which makes it much easier to post.”
When she found out she was on the list, Ms Fitzsimons thought it was “a scam".
“I was like oh, this isn’t me, this is a mistake, and I actually did have a bit of a cry, it was very, very surreal,” she told Newstalk.
“It’s just been crazy and it’s been the platform that has, I think, taken The Matcha Bar from nothing to where it is.
“I’ve had people come here from America, from Jordan, from Germany, and they’re like, ‘I saw you on TikTok and I was coming to Dublin and you’re on my list because I saw you back home in Germany or Jordan’, and I was like, it’s just crazy the reach you can get on TikTok," she said.
Other moments that made the list included James Charles' spice bag review and the success of the summer Olympics.