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The trend of NPC videos on TikTok is growing, with over 47,000 videos uploaded in July and a total of 835 million views. Some creators are earning money through in-app gifts that trigger their mechanical responses, with one creator making between $2,000 and $3,000 per livestream. Experts believe that brands may soon start sponsoring NPC creators, further increasing their earning potential. While trends on social media can fade quickly, experts believe the NPC trend could continue to grow, similar to the success of ASMR creators on YouTube. Overall, creators are finding unconventional ways to make money through social media. Chris Stokel-Walker reported
According to Marcus Bösch, a TikTok research fellow at HAW Hamburg and author of the Understanding TikTok newsletter, interest in NPC videos on the platform is steadily increasing. Bösch has been conducting research on the evolution of these trends and has compiled a growing list of NPC videos. Based on exclusive data obtained by the BBC, it was found that creators using the hashtag #NPC uploaded over 47,000 videos in July, which collectively garnered 835 million views.
Although livestreaming oneself repeatedly uttering the same phrases may appear peculiar, some NPC creators are actually profiting from this trend. PinkyDoll, for example, revealed to the New York Times that she earns between $2,000 and $3,000 (£2,360 to £1,570) per livestream through in-app gifts that trigger her automated responses. This demonstrates the substantial and engaged viewership of her content, despite the fact that the individual gifts are often of low monetary value. For instance, sending PinkyDoll an ice cream cone gift costs $1.30 (£1.02).
While Maddox, an expert in the field, has not specifically studied NPC creators, she notes that many TikTok creators generate the majority of their income through livestreams. Maddox also anticipates that brands will soon capitalize on this trend by collaborating with NPC creators to produce sponsored content, further boosting their earning potential.
Although the popularity of the NPC trend may decline, as is common with social media phenomena, experts believe that it has the potential to endure. Maddox draws a parallel between NPC TikToks and ASMR content on YouTube, noting that some ASMR creators have already turned to TikTok to generate quick revenue and build their audience.
Regardless of the long-term success of NPC creators like PinkyDoll, this phenomenon reflects a larger trend: content creators are constantly finding innovative ways to monetize their presence on social media platforms, even if their methods may be unconventional..
