What is popular on TikTok goes up and down quickly; however, the “I think I like this little life” trend has taken over many ‘for you’ pages, and continues to morph into new interpretations even four months after it got its start.

The “little life” idea grew very popular in November 2023, when people began to pair the sound, which features the song “Little Life” by Cordelia, with images and videos that featured quiet and aesthetic moments in their life. People were inspired to make content, often romanticized, about their personal lives that lots of viewers found relatable and even amusing.

“I love the trend and I think it should continue,” senior Ellie Wingstedt said.

At once point, TikTok users started to capture a short clip of their pet doing something strange or humorous and post it with either the song or a voiceover of them singing the song to their pet. These reels easily became viral within hours, and the videos continued to engage users because of the seemingly funny and random content.

However, some teens find the trend annoying because Gen Y has taken part, and they consider TikTok more of a teenager-based platform. The trend has been called ‘cringe’ or ‘repetitive’ because of the song’s over-use, and has now become somewhat of a mockery.

“I think the trend is dumb, and I don’t find it funny,” junior Tommy Murphy said. 

The hashtag for this movement is currently sitting at 452 million views on TikTok, and while most of these videos consist of someone following the original trend, or with a voiceover about their everyday lives, the trend has evolved in recent weeks. 

First, Kelsey Grammer’s daughter, Greer, was called out for using the song to post video of herself traveling by private jet, prompting larger conversations about wealth and humility. TikTok users started parodying the original idea, pairing the sound with text about people who wronged them in the past.

Then, Gen Y users thought it was funny to scare their significant other by gasping and yelling, “I think I like this little life” to see if the other person jumped.

And now, the latter idea has been applied to pets: users record themselves scaring their animals.

Like so many trends on TikTok, a simple song became well-known, all because of TikTok’s algorithm and influencers’ creativity. While it is impossible to know where this trend will go next, Cordelia’s song has brought people together for their shared interests or lifestyles, despite some of the videos with the trend’s controversial content.