TikTok's Newest Trend Involves an Intricate Exchange of 'Dabloons' for Imaginary Goods and Services
Sadly, TikTok's fictional economy is already suffering the effects of inflation.
Did you also wake up to every other TikTok offering you a cut of 10,000 "dabloons" in a manner reminiscent of a fever dream, or are you normal?
As quickly as overnight, a trend that toes the line between cryptocurrency exchange and roleplay took over the social media platform, as it does not appear to involve the actual exchange of funds, despite doubloons being a legitimate (though take that with a grain of salt) form of crypto.
Instead, TikTokers are gifting, stealing, and exchanging the so-called funds for fictitious goods, memeifying the FYP into what feels like a near real-life game of Skyrim or Dungeons and Dragons. Basically, this newfound virtual economy—which is run by cats, did we mention that yet?—is the meme.
User @britedragon, whose name is Alexis, according to their bio, broke down the complex structure of the intricacies of the game, so to speak. While the imaginary currency took off this month, the world is built around the 4 Dabloons Cat, a meme that was posted on Instagram last year in reference to the cat's four "toe beans."
According to Alexis, throughout the last year or so, people would organically collect the dabloons each time they happened upon the image. For example, if you'd seen it four times, you had 16 dabloons.
In the last few weeks, users started uploading it on TikTok in a storyboard format, addressing scrollers on the FYP as weary travellers and offering them burgers or warm stew in exchange for—you guessed it—four dabloons. From there it snowballed, with users launching shops where only dabloons are accepted and others offering a few dabloons here and there to those who had yet to grow their dabloon accounts, and even a few Nigerian prince scams for good measure. One user even edited a news bulletin to offer updates on the highs and lows of the dabloon economy—it, too, is suffering the effects of inflation, by the way—while others shared their tips and tricks for budgeting (from a simple note app to a full-blown excel spreadsheet—don't forget to set aside enough for tax season!).
Most users are delighted by the camaraderie that the new game has brought amongst TikTokers, though many are admittedly still confused.
"I have seen a full dabloon government AND revolution," one user commented.
"Don’t forget the dabloon thieves!! I’ve been robbed twice now 😭 I need insurance," another lamented.
But for those who just couldn't grasp it, Alexis confirmed, "It's all an imaginary economy running on an honor system lol."
So if you'd like to take part in the new physical world there's little pressure associated with it, but if not, there's once again, no pressure. It's just as entertaining to watch unfold before your eyes!
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