The Brief: Memes that ask people to "tell us" something "without actually telling us" are popular on Twitter and TikTok.
DEEP DIVE
“Tell us without telling us,” or “tell me without telling me” memes ask people to share that they match a set of criteria or are part of a group without explicitly stating it. This trend allows people to make pointed statements that play with stereotypes, defining characteristics, and inside jokes of different populations including groups of sports fans, consumers, people from certain regions, and more. These memes are popular on both Twitter and TikTok in mid-December 2020.
On Twitter, accounts are tweeting their followers, asking them to “tell us without telling us” something specific about themselves. This tweet format is popular on brand Twitter and sports Twitter.
I will have what Hyungwon is having! pic.twitter.com/FmxehUPFA1
— Vicki ✨ (@gabelle002) December 11, 2020
The guy who hit a drive into deep left field to make it a 4-0 ballgame. I don’t know if i’m gonna be putting on this headset again. Whether that be for the reds or my bosses at FOX.
— Man of faith (@ThomBrennamann) December 12, 2020
Molotov cocktails are a great way to change a problem into a different problem.
— Jason Hentrich (@jasonhentrich) December 11, 2020
In some cases, people saw these tweets as opportunities to dunk on the people, brands, or organizations posing the question by leaning into unflattering stereotypes, such as this one about BMW drivers:
I don’t use turn signals and am balls deep in my phone going 90 in a 55
— Darth Daddy (@DRupeck) December 9, 2020
This meme is also popular on TikTok where people are using the #Stitch feature to answer prompts that ask them to reveal that they have a certain trait or are a member of a group without directly saying so. At the time of writing, videos associated with the hashtags #TellMeChallenge and #TellMeWithoutTellingMe have been viewed over 9.4 million times on the app.
@swellcreative #stitch with @macawmomma4 I’m very impressed with my bad acting. 🩴🩴#california #californiagirl #fresnocalifornia #fresnocali #winterincalifornia
@racheldayfrostt #stitch with @tree.hee does anybody want them??