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TikTok's My Emergency Contact trend, explained

Yikes, that's who they'd call in an emergency?
 By 
Tim Marcin
 on 
screenshots of tiktoks showing guys being goofy
Credit: Screenshots: TikTok / @magnusferrell / @sullivang_ / @aminaayoub_

TikTok is poking fun at the idea of who we choose to be our emergency contacts.

A popular new trend involves folks showing their emergency contact — typically a partner — doing something silly, odd, or even reckless. The joke is basically: Can you believe this person is in charge during an emergency? Can you square the idea that the person doing this is going to get the phone call when something goes wrong for me?

It's mostly a cute trend, with folks showing their loved ones' weird sides, set to the Hannah Montana song "Ordinary Girl." Typically speaking, the posts involve men doing something odd or ill-conceived, but it's presented in a playful manner. These sorts of posts are going super viral online at the moment, racking up millions of views.


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For instance, there's this guy shoving his head into the snow.

Or here's Detroit Lion Amon-Ra St. Brown mostly being goofy.

Here's Basement Yard podcaster Joe Santagato.

And, this guy just being a dude.

Some folks noted they switched out their mom as their emergency contact for...someone who is not quite their mom.

Or there's Will Ferrell being Will Ferrell. Imagine having Will Ferrell as your emergency contact.

Will Ferrell's kid aside, this TikTok trend rests on the idea that, at some point, you become the adult. So many people feel like they are perennially the child, or the young person, or the person who's not responsible. And yet, there you are, relying on some goofball as your emergency contact.

Topics TikTok

close-up of man's face
Tim Marcin
Associate Editor, Culture

Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).

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