A new trend is taking over TikTok, leaving For You Pages flooded with references to Group 7.
What started as a creative experiment by U.S. musician Sophia James has now turned into a full-blown internet phenomenon, with videos amassing millions of views and celebrities, influencers, and even brands joining the fun.
Needless to say, the trend has captured the collective attention of the online world, with everyone wanting to know if they are also in Group 7.
Group 7 started as a singer’s simple test for TikTok’s FYP algorithm
Image credits: TikTok/sophiajamesmusic
Former American Idol Season 18 contestant Sophia James, 26, ended up creating the trend while promoting her new song, So Unfair.
She posted seven videos on TikTok, each one labeled with a different group number. Her idea was simple.
Image credits: Unsplash
She wanted to test TikTok’s algorithm and see which videos reached the widest audience.
By her fourth video, she started labeling the clips and the fans that encountered them in their For You Page (FYP).
“If you’re seeing this, you are in Group 4,” James explained. “I am posting a bunch of videos and seeing which ones reach the most viewers. This is the fourth post of the batch, so you are Group 4.”
Her final video designated viewers as Group 7. In the video, she simply stated, “If you are watching this video, you are in Group 7. I have posted seven videos tonight, and this is the seventh one.”
“Just a little science experiment to see what kind of video gets the most reach.”
The internet immediately declared that Group 7 was the group to belong to, and before long, everyone wanted in.
Newsweek noted that on TikTok, Group 7 has since become synonymous with being elite, a baddie, or simply winning at the chronically online lifestyle.
Millions of TikTok users now scroll their feeds hoping to land in Group 7, which has already racked up 35.9 million views as of writing.
Image credits: TikTok/sophiajamesmusic
Celebrities and brands promptly jumped on the Group 7 trend
Image credits: TikTok/sophiajamesmusic
The allure of Group 7 hasn’t escaped public figures. Actress Madelyn Cline posted a TikTok that’s been viewed over 4.6 million times, greeting fans with: “Good morning group 7 baddies how we doing.”
Influencer Hayleyy Baylee replied to James’ Group 7 video in a comment liked over 160,000 times: “I think we are all in group 7.” Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran also jumped on board.
Even brands have joined the online party. The official TikTok accounts of skincare brand Aveeno commented, “I heard group 7 has really great skin…” while Hyundai USA cheekily replied, “Group 7 is superior.”
Even Blue Man Group tweeted: “Happy to be here,” and HBO Max piled on, echoing some Group 7 members’ sentiments by writing, “Judging Groups 1-6.”
Image credits: TikTok/hellahgood
Technically, TikTok’s algorithm decides which “group” a viewer sees, meaning users would need to catch Sophia James’ video on their For You page to officially know their group.
However, with the overwhelming popularity of James’ Group 7 TikTok, most users are being served the final, coveted video, granting them instant “elite” status online.
Group 7 has been a massive success for James’ new song, and now things are getting real
Image credits: TikTok/shanewhalley/madelynclineagain
While her test might be simple, the viral nature of Group 7 means that James was able to successfully get millions of people to stream, share, and memefy So Unfair without spending a cent on traditional advertising, according to Fast Company.
Some members of Group 7 have even started referring to the song as the official “Group 7 anthem,” effectively making Sophia James the internet’s latest marketing genius.
Image credits: mazwiake
Since Group 7 went viral, James has gained over 100,000 new TikTok followers, and her music has seen an uptick in streams.
James, for her part, revealed that she was caught off guard by the sudden viral nature of Group 7, according to Today.
Image credits: TikTok/steelers/northeasternu
“I woke up the next morning and you know, like, the Group 7 video had hit the algorithm, and people just made it explode, and it became this hilarious, unexpected internet moment,” she said.
On her official website, James noted that she was organizing an official Group 7 meetup in London on Friday, October 24.
A similar meetup is reportedly being planned for Los Angeles Group 7 members as well.
Image credits: Instagram/sophiajamesmusic
“This is the funniest thing I have ever seen and I think you should all meet in real life,” James wrote on her website.
The internet has reacted to the emergence of Group 7 on social media
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