TIMES.KY

Cayman Islands, Caribbeanand International News
Thursday, Oct 10, 2024

ikTok logo seen displayed on a smartphone. Screenshot of TikTok featuring "Dabloons" trend

The Dabloon economy is the latest craze engulfing TikTok: from inflation and debt, to thieves and factions

TikTokers have created a giant fake economy within the app, with millions of participants, using a fabricated currency—Dabloons—and it reflects real-world events.  Millions are part of the Dabloon economy, but the fake currency is suffering from inflation.
Based on the 16th century coin “Doubloons,” the coins can be earned simply by scrolling over a video that gives them out. You then might come across another video, usually containing a cat and the phrase “hello traveler”, that offers goods that you can buy using your Dabloons—things such as weapons, fictional pets and castles. 

The trend originated in 2021 with a nonsensical meme shared by the Instagram account catz.jpeg, in which a picture of a cat was captioned “4 dabloons.” In recent days, however, it has taken on a new life and come to symbolize much more than a whimsical fake currency—it has become an economy reflecting real-life events. 

At first, it was an immensely popular and quirky role-playing game that was easily accessible and had no real rules or consequences. Nothing about Dabloons is real, neither the currency itself nor the items you buy, and you could most definitely cheat in the game (though doing so would largely be pointless, as it’s meant to be non-competitive). 

As the movement grew during October and November, users have taken it to new levels, including tracking how many Dabloons they have in intricate spreadsheets, and even coding their own Dabloon-tracking apps. 


TikTokkers tackle inflation

The freedom of the Dabloon economy is such that anyone can sell items for Dabloons and anyone can make videos that distribute Dabloons—and inevitably, this has led to inflation. 

To combat this, TikTok users have begun enacting fiscal policies around Dabloon use and distribution. These have been almost universally accepted within the app, based on a trust and shame system. One such rule holds that the maximum number of Dabloons that can be given in one video is capped at 100. 

Accounts such as the Dabloon Government and Dabloons HQ also exist to inform and police the Dabloon economy’s incredible growth. 

But not all is rosy. Thieves have emerged, stealing other people’s Dabloons, while victims go into debt. As the role-playing evolves, some users within the Dabloon economy have also split into factions, and some have formed an anti-capitalist revolt. 


Fun or coping?

For many, the Dabloon economy appears to be a fun form of escapism. One Twitter user Marie Lum reacted to the trend, saying: “It’s really creative and fun and I love it, it reminds me of games I used to make up with my friends when I was a kid but this is on a much larger scale.” 

But could it also be a coping mechanism? London-based freelance illustrator and TikTok-user Alice Marcella Williams, 26, told Fortune that she thinks the trend is a reaction by young people to the current economic climate. 

“It’s comedic because it’s directly confronting an active fear and presenting it in an easily safe and defeatable thing,” she said. “It’s TikTok’s comedic answer to the energy crisis and worldwide economic breakdown.” 

Our new weekly Impact Report newsletter will examine how ESG news and trends are shaping the roles and responsibilities of today’s executives—and how they can best navigate those challenges. Subscribe here.
Newsletter

Related Articles

TIMES.KY
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
BBC Personalities Rebuke Accusations Amidst Scandal Involving Teen Exploitation
A Swift Disappointment: Why Is Taylor Swift Bypassing Canada on Her Global Tour?
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
Unilever Plummets in a $2.5 Billion Free Fall, to begin with: A Reckoning for Misuse of Corporate Power Against National Interest
Beyond the Blame Game: The Need for Nuanced Perspectives on America's Complex Reality
Twitter Targets Meta: A Tangle of Trade Secrets and Copycat Culture
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
×