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Analysis
Earlier this week, we reported on a viral TikTok that showed a woman apparently finding a designer couch on the street in New York City. After getting it cleaned and letting it sit in her dad’s workplace for over two weeks, she brought it into her apartment. The original video now has more than 62 million views.
After the initial reactions to the TikTok—mainly people concerned that the couch had bedbugs in it—the couch became a meme. Soon, I began to see the couch Photoshopped in a variety of situations—like in Harry’s House. Then brands started using it in social media posts. People started complaining that they were seeing it everywhere.
So, what’s the deal with this couch? It’s called “Bubble” and was designed by Sacha Lakic for Roche Bobois. The collection shows various sizes and colors of the Bubble couch—a modern shape that does sort of look like a cluster of bubbles. Before the viral TikTok, no one was talking about this couch online, but now everyone is talking about it.
Usually, when a controversial TikTok makes its way to Twitter, the discourse lasts for maybe a day or two. But we’re now several days out and there’s still daily tweets about this couch. Personally, I’m enjoying it because we haven’t had a good Photoshopped object meme in a while.
Will the couch’s virality make more people want to buy it? Maybe not, due to the hefty price tag. But it will definitely make people think twice about putting their street finds on the internet.
Why it matters
Twitter has changed a lot in the past year. And the changes have led to some fleeing the app entirely. It’s nice to see that a random meme can still take over the app like it did years ago.
But, yes, now it’s time to find a new meme. We’ve seen enough of this couch.