You currently see many vox pops and street interviews on TikTok and YouTube, among others. Stories about how a couple met, the most important life lesson according to an 85-year-old and anonymous testimonies from a stranger. Everyone passes by and it makes you curious. Why are we so interested in the lives of others
Voxpops
Street interviews and vox pops are nothing new. Voxpop is the abbreviation of the Latin expression Vox Populi, or the voice of the people. Already in the early years of television in the Netherlands, journalists were sent into the streets to question people. This has led to hilarious memes, funny moments and videos on Dumpert. On TikTok, some of the vox pops are different. They are personal, penetrating and intimate and it is popular. The hashtag #voxpop has been viewed almost 900 million times on TikTok. Why do we enjoy watching this so much?
@meetcutesnyc The Smile 🙂 #meetcute #howcouplesmeet #love #nyc #streetinterview #foryou #foryoupage #fyp ♬ original sound – Meet Cutes NYC
Need for connection
In this lonely society where we are more connected to our phones than to each other, there is a need for connection. We know that we can pick up our phone at any moment to talk to someone, but in real life this turns out to be different. Loneliness is common and only increasing, making more human interaction important. This is reflected in the videos, it is mainly the most sincere, personal stories that go viral
Authentic
For the street interviews, ordinary people are asked things. They, unlike celebrities, are unfiltered and say what they think without thinking about the consequences. This makes it entertaining and authentic, which is an important topic right now, online and offline. On many accounts of influencers, for example, there is sometimes no authenticity anymore and only the best version of themselves is posted. It feels refreshing to see unfiltered opinions after so long in an online world where everything is great and filters are added to every photo. People are tired of looking at perfection, they want reality
Benefits on your mental health
It is also said that listening to strangers has benefits for your mental health. Strange people can teach you a lesson. If you’re not willing to go out and talk to people, just watching it from your screen is a great solution. Because let’s face it: aren’t we all a little curious about each other and how other people think? Vox popping gives us the opportunity to hear different people’s opinions. Would you dare to answer if you were asked a question on the street?
