Halloween might be over, but Witching Hour has accelerated on TikTok. #WitchTok (or Witch TikTok) is the viral take on spirituality – think Paganism, psychics, and seances in 60 second videos. The hashtag #WitchTok currently has over 20.7 billion views on the video app. In comparison, #Kardashian only has 6.4 billion, and #LoveIsland clocks up a mere 4.9 billion.
As an enthusiastic TikTok user, I started liking WitchTok videos during lockdown. I found myself drawn in by beautiful witches with their crystals and soft-spoken voices. Influencer branding has inevitably pounced on this spiritual trend; the creators of this content practice both magic and sales, and while I can’t speak for the former, the latter is extremely effective. The gentle marketing worked on me – I bought Tarot cards and incense and celebrated the Summer Solstice this year in the most mystical way I could. Big brands have recently caught on. A browse in my local Urban Outfitters (an American clothing store import marketed at Gen Z) reveals card decks, books on witching and healing crystals covering the lifestyle tables.
While the origins are English, Wicca really took off when it spread to the United States and collided with 1960s counterculture.
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