Grab your phone and some tape for the TikTok ceiling challenge
Another trend has taken the social media world by storm and all you need to get involved is a phone, some tape and absolutely no fear of heights.
The essentials:
- Another wholesome TikTok trend is spreading across social media.
- It’s called the Blanket Challenge and all you need is a cell phone, tape and a blanket.
- Simply attach your phone to the ceiling and start recording whatever you want.
- It was created by an aspiring young filmmaker named Josiah Lebante.
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Social media loves challenges, and I don’t mean the toxic corners that make being there less and less fun. I’m actually referring to the trends that unite people rather than divide them. I’m not a social media historian, but the first trend that comes to mind is the Ice Bucket Challenge. In July 2014, people on social media poured buckets of ice water over their heads to raise awareness of Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). They then tagged a friend chain letter style.
From there, similar philanthropic trends emerged, but they soon morphed into sillier ventures. From imitating the Wednesday Addams dance popularized by Jenna Ortega in Netflix Wednesday, to the fake fatal Grimace Shake challenge, people are taking on these challenges. One that has taken TikTok by storm is the ceiling challenge, which sounds like a gravity-defying nightmare. Here’s what we know about this viral trend.
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What’s the ceiling challenge on TikTok all about?
Before delving into the ceiling challenge, I assumed it would be a clever trick to make it seem like people were standing on the ceiling. I was imagining this old Hollywood trick of turning a camera sideways to make it look like someone was hanging from a building when in reality they were just lying on the ground. Actually, it’s a little more literal than all that.
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The challenge involves someone sticking their phone to the ceiling and then recording what they want on the floor while looking at their phone’s camera. Each video comes with an excerpt from JID’s song Surround sound. It’s less an optical illusion and more a desire to create a cinematic shot. People choose to do all sorts of things, however, if you’re looking for a ceiling challenge on TikTok, a Significant amounts of twerking videos appear.
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Where did the ceiling challenge come from?
The person claiming ownership of the ceiling challenge is Josiah Lebante, who comes along @josiahlebante14 on TikTok. According to his TikTok bio, he’s a “17-year-old aspiring filmmaker,” which makes sense since this trend relies on an unorthodox camera angle. Be The first video was published on September 8, 2023 and shows Josiah attaching his phone to a ceiling, followed by a video of him and his friends dancing underneath.
In one Follow-up TikTok from November 2023Josiah acknowledged the trend and explained how it came about. At lunch at school, Josiah told his friends that he had a new idea for a TikTok challenge. His goal was to create a top-down shot inspired by one of his favorite filmmakers: Karl Shakur. “I really love his work,” Josiah said.
At first everyone laughed at the idea, but Josiah managed to convince his friends with “Posing and Vibing”. Surround sound. A month after being uploaded to TikTok and Instagram, it went viral far beyond the Philippines, where Josiah lives. “I’m just glad everyone is doing it and being so creative,” Josiah said.
