ikTok Trends Junior gains views on social media

allie LAPIN

After scrolling through TikTok in March of 2022, Blake Fenton, junior, decided to join the 1 billion active users on TikTok and click post on his first video under the username @blakefenton67.

View count: 384,000 views.

“I thought it would only receive a few hundred views from people at school,” Fenton said.

Over the past year, Fenton’s fame has affected himself, his friends and even his family.

After his first post, which featured him and his friend in various “Hey Blake” situations, Fenton continued posting videos, each with a similar concept. His videos didn’t fit with any of the trending ones on TikTok, yet received more love than most videos that did fit the criteria.

“They’re unique and stand out against other TikToks,” Fenton said.

Fenton’s most popular video, reaching more than 3.7 million views, was filmed with Adriano Robins, senior. The video showed a set of hands dragging

Fenton down the stairs after he claimed he “knew Victoria’s Secret,” referencing the popular store.

“We both decided it would be fun to make the video,” Robins said. “He came up with the joke, and I helped with some of the dialogue.”

Robins said he was shocked to see how fast a video like that can spread.

“It was even more surreal seeing random comments from strangers I had never met,” Robins said.

That video boosted Fenton’s fame, as he was posted on popular Snapchat reels, along with having his videos becoming featured on many “try not to laugh” challenges on YouTube. The popular company Tootsie Rolls’ official TikTok account even posted a video and tagged Fenton as their inspiration.

“It makes me happy to see that he’s getting recognition for making people laugh. His videos bring smiles and positivity to people, and I think that should be advocated more,” Robins said.

Blake’s sister, Lauren Fenton, Class of 2019, has been featured in multiple of Blake’s videos. After hearing about his first videos going viral, Lauren said she wasn’t surprised.

“He’s always been so outgoing and puts himself out there all the time,” Lauren said.

“Right after the video was posted many of my friends sent it to me,” Lauren said. “I was also noticed by multiple people at my school.”

Lauren said making the videos with Blake was never about going viral to her, but instead about creating something together.

“It’s just fun knowing him and I get to perform something for people,” Lauren said.

Lauren said this fame could greatly impact Blake, as it could allow him to enter into the world of directing and writing.

“In the last year, he’s made such a big name for himself,” Lauren said.

Though fame affected how others perceived Blake, Robins and Lauren both agree it never affected how he perceived himself.

“Even if the views go down and people lose interest in my videos, it will not stop me from making them,” Blake said.