Is the 'Who TF Did I Marry?' saga changing the way we consume TikToks?

Last week, Reesa Teesa shared a series of 50 TikTok videos delving into the question: “Who TF did I marry?” Over eight hours, this in-depth narrative is reshaping the perception of TikTok, moving beyond traditional video content.

If you haven’t devoted hours to watching her directly address the camera, you might have opted to listen to her story in the background.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the entire “Who TF Did I Marry?” tale, here’s a summary: @reesamtees narrates her encounters with a former partner she accuses of various deceptive acts, spanning financial, employment, legal matters, and more, resembling a plot from a real-life movie.

It’s a captivating story. Its uniqueness lies in its extensive length. With 52 segments, mostly 8-10 minutes each, @reesamteesa meticulously unravels the story, leaving no detail unexplored.

Surprisingly, this saga has garnered significant attention. ReesaTeesa has gained over 2.5 million followers and millions of views within a week. Notably, each video in this extensive series has accumulated multiple millions of views.

This begs a simple question: How? How do people manage to watch all these videos? The reality is that many don’t. For instance, my spouse and mother-in-law treated it like a podcast, playing it as an audio narrative while multitasking. Similarly, individuals at Mashable have taken a similar listening approach.

It actually makes sense. Visually, “Who TF Did I Marry?” lacks much visual stimulation as it primarily features ReesaTeesa talking to the camera in various scenes. Therefore, it lends itself to an auditory experience. Thus, listening seems to be a practical choice, resonating with many others online.

In essence, this could be seen as TikTok’s first unintentional viral podcast. The extended video format allows viewers to listen to uninterrupted 8- to 10-minute segments, smoothly transitioning to the next part or saving progress for later. Given the nature of this story, it’s no surprise it has become a kind of TikTok podcast.

True crime and scammer stories rank among the most popular genres in the podcast realm. A mystery like “Who TF Did I Marry?” seamlessly fits into this podcast genre.

Time will determine if this format can be replicated on TikTok. Holding an audience’s attention across 52 lengthy segments is quite an accomplishment. In this regard, ReesaTeesa deserves recognition. However, it’s highly likely someone will attempt to replicate her success.

Perhaps in the near future, we might find ourselves regularly listening to TikToks rather than watching them. After all, this method has proven successful in the music industry.

Tim Marcin

Tim Marcin is a culture reporter at Mashable, where he writes about food, fitness, peculiar internet phenomena, and a wide range of topics. You can find him sharing his thoughts endlessly about Buffalo wings on Twitter at @timmarcin.