The Brief: #XYZCBA is a variation of #XYZBCA, a popular TikTok hashtag that's typically used in the hopes that it will trick the algorithm into promoting a video.
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#XYZCBA is a hashtag made up of the first and last three letters of the alphabet with ambiguous origins and purposes. Videos associated with the hashtag #XYZCBA have been viewed over 55 billion times on TikTok and ones tagged with #XYZBCA have been viewed over 218 billion times.
These hashtags are commonly used on TikTok as a way to potentially boost engagement on a video. TikTokers use these hashtags because of rumors that the app’s mysterious algorithm will prioritize videos that have been tagged with #XYZCBA. Although this hashtag is seemingly random, it may be an effective way to boost video spread because of how many people have used it, causing it to be a popular and trending tag. Similarly, TikTokers often add the hashtags #FYP and #ForYouPage as an attempt to boost a video’s viability to the app’s algorithm. There is much debate as to whether or not these hashtags actually have any effect on how TikTok promotes videos.
@imdrewscott
@christines_snaps I’m in over my head lmao #plantparent #FYP #chaoticpets #differentbreed #BestThingSince #xyzcba