Meaning Of TikTok’s Canon Event Trend: ‘It Is What It Is’ Got A New Name?

What is a canon event, and how to use it in a sentence? If that is something that you want to know, you have a friend in me!

Social media never sits still, does it? One day it’s a new dance, the next it’s a sound clip or some wild challenge – suddenly, everyone’s doing it.

Some of these trends stick around and become part of people’s daily scroll, but plenty just explode for a week and disappear like they never happened.

It’s almost impossible to guess what’s going to take off next. Still, when something does go viral, it’s worth asking: how did it catch on? Why do we get hooked?

Right now, everyone’s talking about canon events. This trend blew up out of nowhere, and suddenly, it’s all over TikTok’s For You page.

So, what’s a canon event?

Basically, it’s one of those cringe moments, rough patches, or just plain embarrassing memories that shape you. The idea is, you can’t dodge them – they’re part of what makes you, well, you.

To know more about it, keep reading!

What Is A Canon Event?

So, let’s start with the basics – what is a canon event? A canon event is one of those big, unavoidable moments that end up shaping who you are or where you’re headed.

The phrase started out in fandom circles – people used it to talk about what’s “official” in a story. But it really took off after Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hit theaters in 2023.

In the movie, canon events are these key milestones – usually something tough or life-changing – that every Spider-Person has to go through. If you try to stop them, you mess with the whole multiverse.

“On social media, canon event is commonly used to refer to relatable, often embarrassing, incidents that happen to people in the course of everyday life as a playful comment on personal growth,” according to Merriam-Webster.

The idea is that these moments aren’t just important – they’re the foundation of what makes someone a hero and gives them their place in the world.

Historical Meaning Of A Canon Event

The word “canon” is not new – just in case you were wondering! Historically speaking, if you go back a bit, “canon” comes from the Greek word kanōn, which just means “rule” or “measuring stick.”

In books and movies, it’s all about what counts as “real” in that universe, based on what the original creator says.

Fans have been tossing around “canon” for ages to sort out what really happened in a story versus what’s just made up by other fans.

So, a “canon event” used to just mean any plot point that was officially part of a character’s story – something set in stone.

What Is A Canon Event On TikTok?

Now, over on TikTok, “canon event” has turned into this viral way to talk about messing up or going through that awkward phase everyone seems to have.

People post videos of themselves watching their siblings or friends making questionable choices, like picking a terrible haircut or dating someone awful.

Instead of stepping in, they just watch and add the caption, “I can’t interfere, it’s a canon event.”

Trust me, I can totally see myself making a video of me and my best friend where I talk about her past mistakes of saying yes to terrible guys!

The whole trend is a funny way to look at embarrassing moments as necessary steps in growing up – things that make you who you are.

How Did The Term “Canon Event” Become Popular On The Internet?

The phrase “canon event” really took off after Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hit theaters in June 2023.

Before that, fans were already using “canon” to separate official storylines from fan fiction. However, the movie literally gave “canon event” a new spin – and people ran with it. And almost overnight, social media lit up with jokes and stories about “canon events.”

The idea clicked. Because it gave everyone a funny, Spider-Man-style way to talk about those cringey life moments we all go through. You know, the things that shape us – whether we like it or not.

By the end of June, searches for “canon event” shot up, and the hashtag #canonevent racked up hundreds of millions of views on TikTok.

The buzz got so big that Collins Dictionary even considered “canon event” for their 2023 Word of the Year. But they went with the word AI since that was “the talking point of 2023,” Alex Beecroft, the managing director of Collins, told The Guardian.

First Used In Across The Spider-Verse (2023)

As I have already mentioned, in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, “canon events” are these big, life-changing moments every Spider-Man goes through, no matter which universe they’re in.

Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man 2099) spells it out for everyone: things like getting bitten by a radioactive spider or losing someone important, like a police captain, aren’t just coincidences.

Rather, they’re the things that turn someone into Spider-Man and keep their universe from falling apart. Hmm – makes sense!

The whole movie runs on this idea. These moments have to happen. If they don’t, the multiverse is in real trouble.

So when Miles Morales tries to save his dad from one of these tragedies, the Spider-Society steps in hard. They’re convinced that messing with the “canon” could destroy reality itself.

Suddenly, this comic book term isn’t just for fans – it becomes a real metaphor for those tough moments in life that, whether we like it or not, make us who we are.

How TikTok Users Took It Up!

TikTok users took this big, dramatic idea and ran with it, turning it into a viral, often satirical trend.

They started filming themselves watching someone – maybe their little sister going through an “emo phase” or a friend dating someone obviously bad for them. And they throw on a caption like, “I can’t interfere, it’s a canon event.”

Yes, of course, they always use that intense, synth-heavy “Spider-Man 2099 (Miguel O’Hara)” track in the background to make it even more over-the-top. And fun, honestly!

And you know what? This whole thing lets people laugh about those embarrassing, universal experiences – awkward first crushes, tragic fashion choices, you name it.

By calling these moments “canon events,” everyone gets to look back at their old mistakes and see them as important parts of their personal story, not just screw-ups. It’s basically the emotion that’s similar to the “it’s for the plot” trend!

There’s even a “Your Canon Event” filter now, which randomly picks a funny or dramatic life moment for you. It’s all about finding some humor and maybe a little acceptance in the chaos of growing up.

Read Also: The Viral TikTok Mac & Cheese is Trending! Here’s How to Make it at Home!

What Is A Canon Event Example: How To Use The Word In A Sentence?

So, by now, you obviously are aware of what is a canon event. It basically means one of those tough moments you just have to go through to grow as a person.

People throw it around when they’re trying to explain why you shouldn’t step in and stop someone from messing up, or when they want to see a past screw-up as something important, not just a failure.

So, in a way, there’s this feeling that it’s meant to happen. Like it’s uncomfortable, sure, but you need it if you’re going to become the person you’re supposed to be.

But how do you use “canon event” in a sentence, really? There’s no need to worry – here are five examples of how you can use it:

1. “I wanted to tell her that those bangs were a mistake, but I realized it was a canon event she had to go through.”
2. “Getting your heart broken for the first time is a painful but necessary canon event.”
3. “I can’t interfere with his terrible internship – it’s a canon event that will teach him what he actually wants to do.”
4. “Looking back, failing that entrance exam was a canon event that led me to a much better career path.”
5. “Don’t stop him from buying those neon green shoes. It’s his middle school canon event.”

Psychological Perspective Of What Is A Canon Event

Now that you are (probably) well aware of what is a canon event and its meaning on TikTok, let’s talk about something interesting – the psychological side to the trend going viral.

You see, with the extensive research that I carried out to understand the deeper meaning (or purpose) behind the trend going viral, there’s something rather surprising that I came across.

Basically, the idea of a “canon event” works a lot like the story we tell ourselves about who we are. It is a form of radical acceptance, if I have to say so!

So, instead of seeing something painful or embarrassing as just a mistake, calling it a canon event flips the script. Suddenly, you’re not stuck in regret – you’re accepting it as part of how your life unfolds.

This way of thinking actually helps in a few important ways. Here’s how:

• Reframing Adversity: First, it turns rough patches into turning points. You start to believe that those tough moments shaped the strengths you have now.
• Emotional Distancing: Then there’s the emotional distance it gives, especially online. When people see others’ struggles and joke, “I can’t interfere, it’s their canon event,” it’s a way to cope. You get to laugh it off and feel less weighed down by your own failures. Because you realize everyone has their mess-ups.
• Sense of Purpose: Finally, seeing your setbacks as canon events gives your story a sense of direction. Even when life feels out of control, you get this feeling that everything is somehow part of a bigger plan. Even the worst parts.

Now tell me – isn’t all of this suddenly a strangely comforting thought?