It’s truly a rite of passage: that moment when the generation below you picks up your mannerisms and lingo and mocks it with (hopefully) adoring playfulness. Perhaps for Millennials, it was joking about Gen X’s “whatever” attitude. Maybe Gen Z latched on to the so-called Millennial sensitivities. Now, it’s Gen Alpha’s turn.
A 12-year-old girl in Scotland named Tosia has gone viral on TikTok and beyond for her videos impersonating online “influencers” in their 20s. And she’s got it completely down from the ASMR tapping on products to mispronouncing words to, of course, saying “literally” 100 times.
Taking on Gen Z
Her mom, Anka Ma Ryjka, is often in the background of these clips, going about her business while her daughter takes on whatever trends are seemingly taking over the internet that day. The duo usually seem to be at home but, occasionally, Tosia is in a shopping aisle using props to make her hilarious point: that some influencers take themselves a tad too seriously.
In a video compilation posted by ABC World News Now (@abcwnn) we see Tosia first grab a giant head of lettuce. While staring straight into the camera, she counts down and then takes an oversized bite. “Waaaait, I’m literally obsessed,” she wails.
In another clip, she holds a glass of ice and exclaims, “First, as you know, we’re gonna do ASMR.” She then relentlessly taps the glass and shakes it so the sound of ice cubes crinkle in our ears.
The love of ASMR
Quick side note: ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response and has gained in popularity over the last several years. Healthline describes it as occurring “when certain stimuli, including sounds, visuals, or close contact with another person, produce tingling or calm feelings and sensations.” The term wasn’t coined until 2010, and only officially took off a few years later. It reached new heights of popularity once Millennials and Gen Z started making videos.
As Tosia sits next to her mom and sister Pola, reporter Danny New asks, “What would your advice be to Gen Z?” Without skipping a beat, Tosia answers, “Maybe don’t exaggerate on a strawberry.”
New points out that Tosia is feigning an “American accent” for these videos, which she does flawlessly. When asked what her favorite word to say in an American accent is, her sister jumps in and jokes, “Orange.” They all get a good laugh.
Gen Beta isn’t too far behind
Laughter seems to be the main key. Tosia’s impressions are so spot-on that it’s hard to be offended by them. She knows full well, as she tells New, that Gen Beta is on her heels and will one day mock her generation.
On TikTok alone, her mom’s page has nearly 900,000 followers and lots of similarly fun content. In the aforementioned glass of ice video, she begins by screaming “Hiiiii you guuuuuuuyz. It’s me again, with another food and drink review! Today we have, you guessed it, this famous viral…frozen water! It has melted a bit though, not sure why.”
‘Thank you on behalf of Millennials and Gen X’
The comments are full of support. One person writes, “The fact that this young child thinks influencers are absolutely ridiculous means there’s hope still in the world. This child was raised right.”
Another TikToker points out her mom’s ability to have fun with it. “I love that you and your mom always match outfits.”
On Instagram, one commenter shares, “Gen Z are officially old. Thank you young lady on behalf of Millennials and Gen X.”
