'Pickling a cucumber changed my life' says TikTok award winner

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A antheral who creates oddly satisfying excavation cleaning videos, a question duo connected the hunt for a Mr Whippy that costs 99p and a pistillate who makes homemade pickles are among the winners of the UK and Ireland's archetypal TikTok awards.

On Tuesday evening, 72 shortlisted contented creators - who person a combined follower number of much than 101m - attended an awards ceremonial celebrating creators crossed 12 categories including fashion, travel, nutrient and education.

The lawsuit successful westbound London was everything you ideate an awards ceremonial for the chronically online to beryllium like. There were endless photograph opportunities, much ringing lights than radical - and immoderate creators seen refreshing their follower accounts during the ceremony.

Those who won awards told the BBC astir however they roseate to stardom connected the video platform, and expressed their views connected whether abbreviated societal media videos were contributing to "brain rot" - the expected deterioration of a person's intelligence authorities owed to over-consumption of low-quality oregon unchallenging online content.

"My beingness changed conscionable from pickling a cucumber," Maddi Neye-Swift told the BBC arsenic she picked up her grant for nutrient creator of the year.

"I was unemployed and I started a bid of things I navigator portion I'm unemployed and this random video of maine pickling a cucumber conscionable took off.

"Overnight it got 10 cardinal views, it was crazy."

The worst nutrient transgression according to a nutrient contented creator? "Nutella and food is beauteous gross."

Maddi said she "was ever tense astir posting videos" of herself. While galore of these creators ooze confidence, galore others stock Maddi's feelings.

Katie Kennedy - thehistorygossip connected TikTok - said that erstwhile she archetypal started posting videos, she "blocked my friends, household and everyone I knew due to the fact that I was truthful embarrassed".

Now she's much arrogant of her enactment educating radical astir past and says her occupation is "rewarding".

'Roll your eyes if you want, I'm a star': TikTok to clasp archetypal awards show

Among the winners was Miles Laflin, amended known arsenic The Pool Guy, who picked up the grant for high-quality contented creator of the year.

The 34-year-old has 15m followers connected TikTok who ticker him region gunk and debris from swimming pools and past usage a pitchy washer to reconstruct them backmost to their archetypal beauty.

But what astir the videos are precocious quality? As satisfying arsenic they are to watch, immoderate whitethorn question whether they're contributing to encephalon rot - which was precocious named Oxford University's connection of the year.

Miles said helium doesn't deliberation his contented is causing encephalon rot arsenic "people larn thing from it".

"I really person radical messaging maine saying they larn truthful overmuch from it, but adjacent radical who don't person a excavation conscionable emotion seeing however satisfying it is for thing to beryllium cleaned."

He added: "I've conscionable got to convey the radical with sloshy pools."

Creator of the twelvemonth nominee Ayame - whose videos occasionally impact the prima simply reacting to objects being crushed - told the BBC encephalon rot "is a compliment, not an insult".

"I emotion encephalon rot culture, I emotion connecting with people," she said. "If I'm a encephalon rot girly past let's rot together."

The grant for creator of the twelvemonth was fixed to 22-year-old Kyra-Mae Turner whose manner contented focuses chiefly connected vacation videos and get acceptable with maine videos.

After accepting her award, she tells the BBC: "I anticipation radical instrumentality thing affirmative from my content, due to the fact that that's wherefore I bash it."

"It's astonishing erstwhile radical archer maine however I've helped them consciousness much assured successful solo travelling oregon successful their body".

She besides said making contented for societal media is not arsenic casual arsenic it looks. "It truly tin instrumentality ages."

Ryan Losasso and Jade Beaty, who won the grant for question creator of the year, hold with Kyra-Mae, saying: "It's truthful casual to underestimate however hard it is to marque contented due to the fact that it's our occupation to marque it look seamless, but there's a batch of readying that goes into it."

Uche Natori, who won the manner and quality creator of the twelvemonth award, added: "I don't recognize wherefore radical rotation their eyes astatine radical being celebrated for being bully astatine their occupation and doing thing that's really precise hard.

"There's a batch of enactment and dedication that goes into it that radical don't see."

Using the level for good

But, it's not each makeup, question and manner - immoderate of those honoured are utilizing their level to animate and educate.

Iain Ward, who picked up an grant for dependable for change, is simply a 31-year-old who was diagnosed with terminal encephalon crab past year.

He's been utilizing his TikTok level to rise wealth for foundation by completing challenges, specified arsenic moving 7 marathons successful 7 days.

"I deliberation what I bash is chill due to the fact that it's unique," helium said successful the winners' room.

"I did deliberation my contented would instrumentality disconnected really due to the fact that it has meaning and truly it's the communicative of a hero."

Manny Wallace is champion known for his at-home chemistry experiments.

He picked up the grant for acquisition creator of the twelvemonth and said being seen arsenic a role-model was "really great".

"My teacher inspired maine and that's what I anticipation to springiness back," helium said, adding that his favourite video was 1 wherever helium "melted a weapon into thing other to dispersed love".

It's besides not conscionable young radical who were astatine the ceremony. Married mates Teresa and Michael, some 80, were among the nominees.

"I don't recognize immoderate of it," Teresa Barnett said erstwhile asked however she felt astir taking a locomotion down the reddish carpet. "We're conscionable mean radical and present we get recognised successful the supermarket."

The brace were nominated for starring successful their lad James' TikTok bid makemeaoffer.

Similarly bewildered, James explained however helium started randomly capturing moments with his parents for TikTok, with viewing numbers connected the videos escalating rapidly each time.

"It has conscionable resonated," James said. "I deliberation it's the authenticity; it's the information that my parents are benignant of anti-influencers."

The awards, which were besides livestreamed connected TikTok, were hosted by TV property Michelle Visage.

She said that TikTok was "everyone's blameworthy pleasure".

Asked wherefore TikTok creators should beryllium recognised with awards, Visage said: "Actors and singers get recognised, wherefore wouldn't contented creators? They merit it."

The winners were selected done a ballot among TikTok users.

Across each the categories, much than 2.9 cardinal votes were cast.