Sai Kulkarni ‘23
Culture Editor
My first ever front-page appearance in this esteemed newspaper came from an article about how great holiday-based trends on TikTok were. It also included a pitch to all of you to join the social media app at a time when we all needed community the most. I am happy to say that anecdotal information has taught me that many people, because I recommended it, of course, have joined the app in the past year.[1] So I come to you today, my dear readers, to inform you of the latest TikTok phenomena: the great prophet, Noodle the Pug.
For those of you who don’t know how TikTok’s algorithm works, we need to briefly mention that. As you like and share content, it shows you more. Simple enough, right? Every platform does that. But this app also studies how long you view a video, whether you pause and come back, and even your real-life conversations.[2] So as more people see something and simply find it interesting (not even like it!) it starts getting recommended to more people. Hence, the burst of viral (non-music) TikTok trends in the last year.
With that background out of the way, we can focus on the star of the hour: Noodle. If you don’t know, Noodle is a thirteen-year-old pug owned by a user with the handle @jongraz on the app. While the pug is cute by himself, he has gone viral for something Mr. Graz has been doing every morning. Noodle, a thirteen-year-old dog, is understandably tired all the time. Sometimes he just doesn’t feel like sitting up. But every morning, Mr. Graz faithfully picks Noodle up from his dog bed and gently places him back down. On days when Noodle stands on his own instead of flopping back down, it’s a bones day: Noodle has woken up with bones and can walk around and face the day. On days when Noodle instead flops back down, it’s a no bones day. He just doesn’t have the energy to face the world and needs to be taken care of. This simple act has evolved into a multi-million viewer daily phenomenon.
Helped along by Mr. Graz himself, users of the app, viewers of network television, and even readers of famous magazines have begun to create lore about these two types of days.[3] If Noodle has bones, then he has energy to get things done, and so should you. If Noodle has a no bones day, then you should also take care of yourself the way he needs care. This simple daily dichotomy has captured the hearts and minds of millions (including myself) to the point where it has led to its own fan-created media in the form of songs about the prophet and mentions of him in podcasts. All of us fans and true believers check our feeds every morning to know whether we should get work done or simply stay in and take care of ourselves. As a note, I am writing this during a no bones day, so I am half tempted to stop writing here, go get a peppermint mocha, and curl up in my blankets. But alas, my vaunted role as Cultural Commentator on The Law Weekly demands that I discuss the implications of this great prophet with you.[4]
You may be asking yourself why I, and so many others, take direction from a random internet pug. To that, I ask you, why do you take direction from things like Co-Star,[5] crystals, and a groundhog, of all things? Because it’s something to rely on. Something consistent, that occupies a few minutes of your day, that is really an active demonstration of confirmation bias. So why hate on my daily prophet of choice? In today’s culture that is obsessed with hating popular things simply because of their popularity, I say we let people have the peace they want in this reliance. At the end of the day, it doesn’t actually affect my behavior. I take care of myself and work hard in waves throughout the day as needed.[6] But for just a few moments a day, I can stop and look at a TikTok and know that millions of other people are tuning in, just as fervently as I am, checking to see how their day will go.
[1] I don’t know if it was because of me but I am claiming credit anyways: the Corporate America way.
[2] This last one hasn’t been 100% proven but if it isn’t true, I’ll be very surprised.
[3] Noodle has appeared on The Today Show and gotten “cancelled” by Rolling Stone.
[4] As a point of order, my title is actually “Culture Editor” but I’m choosing to rename it because I can.
[5] I don’t use this app and if Sarah Walsh ’23 tells you I do, she is lying.
[6] As you all should. Take breaks you nerds.