Why in the world are people jumping out of moving vehicles?
Yousra Zaki, Deputy Editor - Guides
Dubai Police have issued a warning to residents against performing the Kiki dance challenge because it can endanger road users. The Kiki Challenge, a viral sensation, which started out as a dance, has emerged with a new twist that involves stepping out of your moving vehicle and doing the dance while walking next to your car. Social media users around the world have been filmed jumping out of moving vehicles as part of the trend. We break down the challenge, why people do it and list celebrities who have participated in the challenge. We also look at other similar viral challenges, some dangerous and some not. Public reactions to the challenge are mixed.
What is the Kiki Challenge?
The Kiki challenge is a viral dance challenge based on rapper/songwriter Drake’s latest single titled “In My Feelings.” The song kicks off with the opening line “Kiki, do you love me, are you riding?”
This viral dance challenge has pushed the song to the foreground of the social world culture, thus to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart.
The dance challenge mainly went viral in the United States, as well as in Europe, Egypt, Jordan and the UAE to name a few.
Who started the Kiki Challenge?
A comedian and social media influencer named Shiggy. He posted the first ever Kiki Challenge dance video on June 30 encouraging his 1.6 million followers to #DoTheShiggy. He also hash tagged #KikiChallenge. And that is how, within weeks, hundreds of people started doing the Kiki dance.
Shiggy himself does not actually jump out of a moving vehicle, instead he is just standing on the street. However followers decided to take it one step further and jump out of moving cars to dance while the driver filmed them.
Why did people start jumping out of cars?
After Shiggy posted the first video, he was followed by New York Giants’ player Odell Beckham Jr. After that, a bunch of other celebrities also took part in the challenge including Ciara, Lil Mama, and of course, Will Smith. While their versions of the challenge, were similar to Shiggy’s, for some unknown reason, a bunch of teens on the Internet started trying to do the challenge while stepping out of their moving cars.
Many online videos show several cases of young girls attempting to get out of the passenger seat while the car is still moving but falling on to the road. Police fear it may have now gone too far.
i almost died #Kekechallenge #KIKIDOYOULOVEME pic.twitter.com/ZkEExvN9ep
— Barbara Kopylova (@baabsxx) July 15, 2018
Are the authorities taking action against people taking part?
Yes. The Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution has ordered on Monday the arrest and prosecution of three social media personalities for endangering their lives and lives of other road users as they performed 'Kiki dance' on the road.
What does Drake think?
The Kiki Challenge has spawned more than 2.3 Million Tweets specifically dedicated to the #kikichallenge, #DoTheShiggy, and the words Kiki and also Keke. Drake is obviously pleased with the viral success of his song reaching millions of people, however, he has not voiced his thoughts about the idea of teens jumping out of cars because of his songs’ challenge.
Who is Kiki?
At the moment, the verdict is still out on who, exactly, Kiki is, considering Drake still hasn't publically confirmed it, however it seems that the Kiki mentioned in "In My Feelings" is fellow Canadian Keshia singer and TV personality Keshia “KeKe” Chante, who is his former flame.
They dated at the tender age of 14, and remain friends to this day. Neither Drake nor Keshia has officially confirmed that she is the mystery woman referenced in the song.
Why are people doing this? The Psychology behind viral trends
By Dona Cherian, Guides Writer
Viral trends such as the #KIKI challenge, in this age of worldwide online connectivity, can be compared in some ways to large-scale social movements of the past. However, social movements during the time without internet were always for a cause, and taken up by people who strongly supported or believed in that cause. Most viral trends today are with a large-scale audience who want nothing more than to participate, share and then pass it on. There is usually no agenda to change or resist.
There may a cause for some, like the Ice Bucket Challenge – which was specifically initiated to raise funds for research to help patients suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS. On the other side, challenges like #KIKI or the “In My Feelings” Challenge, Running Man Challenge, Harlem Shake or Gangnam style had no particular cause than to share.
What qualifies as a viral trend?
A viral trend could be a video, image, link or meme that becomes very popular through rapid and continuous circulation from person to person over the internet.
Why do things go viral?
“Virality isn’t born, it is made.” – Jonah Berger, Contagious
Jonah Berger, a professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, published a book named Contagious on his study and analysis of viral information including images, stories, jokes, videos and ideas. According to him, there is a science behind things going viral and this involves several factors.
Social currency is one – people think of sharing information as a form of online currency. This exchange makes the user an active participant in social media, and thereby becoming part of creating or sharing something. The sharing could also be due to triggers, such as top-of-mind topics or attention-grabbing content that is important to the person sharing it and his or her social circle. Berger also finds that sometimes sharing of videos or other content in public by one person can encourage another person to also create and share it – even if the content may cause some social embarrassment.
What drives people to participate and share?
Dr Mrabet Jihene, a clinical psychologist based in the UAE said, “Sharing online is about belonging to a group, and this sense of being in a group gives people a feeling of security, comfort and even power, self-identity and self-esteem”.
This is also why these kind of social viral challenges are taken up by people of all ages. “For adults, even for those older than 40 or 50, participating is a group manifestation that makes them part of a fun and cool group”, she said.
Many celebrities including Will Smith, Ciara, Shay Mitchell and Ryan Seacrest have also taken part in the challenge.
Speaking about the importance of celebrity influence on virality, Dr. Jihene said, “When it’s a challenge done by celebrities, the group becomes a prestigious one and all the more appealing to be a part of for both adults and youngsters.”
Governments cracking down on the KiKi challenge
By Sara Al Shurafa, Web News Editor
Dubai: The ‘kiki Challenge’,has caused people from all over the planet to post videos of themselves doing the dance.
Authorities consider such acts dangerous not only to themselves, but also for the public as vehicles are left moving on the road unattended.
The UAE is one of the first country to take action to criminalise the act, with a Dh2,000 fine, 23 black points and vehicle impounded for 60 days.
The challenge, under the UAE law, is considered as an act of endangering people’s lives.
The Public Prosecution in UAE have ordered the arrest of three social media influencers on Monday, charging them of offending public morals and violating the traffic law.
In Egypt also the interior ministry announced that such practises are illegal in accordance to the traffic law of the country, which prohibits vehicle drivers from not closing their vehicles’ doors while driving on the road, or driving at slower than the specified minimum speed limits.
People who are found to perform the challenge on the roads in Egypt will be fined LE300, and if the person causes an accident or injuries other people they will be persecuted in criminal court.
In Kuwait, performing the challenge is considered breaking three traffic laws, and the maximum penalty will be arresting the driver and suspending his driving licence for 4 month and confiscating the car for two month.
The Spanish authorities went further by creating a webpage called ‘Driving in Spain’, the aim is to spread awareness of the dangers of the ‘Kiki Challenge’.
The webpage came with a warning towards teenagers stating: “Teenagers should avoid carrying out ‘#in my feelings challenge’ in a vehicle. A vehicle is not a toy – use it responsibily”.
Which other celebrities participated?
Dina Sharbini an Egyptian actress who did the challenge but on an Arabic song
Dorra Zarrouk a Tunisian actress
Hala Al Turk a Bahraini singer
Hala a famous Saudi blogger
Reem Al Sanea a Saudi model and famous fashionista
Essam Al Haddari Egyptian football player
شوية هزار
— Essam El-Hadary (@ElHadary) July 23, 2018
No. 1 kiki 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/wwLQI1QzZM
The new way we play games and challenges
By Sara Al Shurafa, Web News Editor
Growing up, one of the most enjoyable games were ones with challenges - you would play for hours with your siblings or classmates. "I challenge you to wake dad up." "I challenge you to go hug the teacher." "I challenge you to cut your hair yourself." Nothing life threatening, nothing public.
But in the age of internet and social media, the rules of the game have changed. Now the challenge is being filmed, it has a name, has a hashtag and no restriction of age or geography.
Anyone can post a challenge on their social media account, tag some friends, create a hashtag and there you go, it becomes a trend, and spreads like wild fire. You find millions taking the challenge for the sake of a video to post on social media, and millions others following the hashtag for entertainment and to share.
Some of these are funny, others had a cause like the ice bucket challenge, but a few were dangerous and life threatening.
The question is how far are you willing to go to be famous on social media?
Here is a list of the most dangerous challenges that went viral in recent years
- Tide pod challenge – teens took videos of themselves eating Tide washing detergent pods
- Cinnamon challenge – swallowing a spoonful of cinnamon powder without inhaling or vomiting while filming
- Kylie Jenner lip challenge – person stuck their lips to a bottle or glass and then sucked for the longest time to get swollen lips like the celebrity’s full lips. Kids ended up with bruised and puffy lips.
- Eating bugs challenge - from spiders to cockroaches, worms and any other bug that you find, just film yourself eating it
- The fire challenge - shocking videos of teens rubbing alcohol on a body part, be it a leg, hand, torso and then igniting it with a lighter.
- The pass out challenge - a video is taken while one person takes a deep breath while standing against a wall, before another exerts force on their chest until they pass out
- The ice and salt challenge - involved applying salt to your skin, then ice above it. Same pain from frostbite and potential burn.
- The corn on a drill challenge - eating corn off a power drill while its running
- The hot pepper challenge - eating hot jalapenos or cayenne peppers and holding them in the mouth for a long time.
- The hot water challenge - boil water and toss it on one of your friends.
There are also some challenges that went viral and were actually entertaining, and not dangerous. These include Harlem Shake, the Mannequin Challenge and Gangnam style videos.
What is the public saying about this?
By Falah Gulzar, Trainee Social Media Journalist
Millennials have yet again taken up a challenge that has gone viral on social media.
Canadian rapper and singer Drake’s new song called ‘In my feelings’ has been the basis of this new trend. Social media personality and comedian Shiggy @TheSiggyShow posted an Instagram video dancing to the track. Soon after, the hashtag #DoTheShiggy trended across social media platforms.
Consequently, social media users decided to post their own versions and started adding other hashtags such as #InMyFeelings challenge and #KikiChallenge. The idea behind the Kiki Challenge is to leave the car while it’s slowly moving, open the door and dance outside.
Celebrities quickly posted their own elaborate versions. Singer Ciara @Ciara and her American football player husband Russell Wilson posted theirs on Instagram, shot in Cape Town, South Africa.
Actor Will Smith @WillSmith shot his version on the Chain Bridge in Budapest, Hungary. He posted on Instagram: “Last day in Budapest. I woke up #InMyFeelings. I’ma Keep It 100 I was terrified up there. That’s why my dance moves is all stiff! Haha #InMyFeelingsChallenge #DoTheShiggy…”
He ended his post with a warning: “Be smart, don’t attempt doing this under any circumstances.”
Actress Shay Mitchell @shaymitchell shot hers with a friend and wrote: “@kingbach and I figured our first dance video went pretty well, so we stepped it up a notch (dancing next to a moving car) and hit the #InMyFeelings challenge...how did we do? PS. I’d be lying if I said footage of us practicing to a YouTube tutorial of the dance in his bathroom didn’t exist… #TheShiggyChallenge”
Dubai beauty blogger Huda Kattan @HudaBeauty also joined in and apparently filmed hers at her office: “Drake got me doing this in between my meeting…”
K-pop band BTS’s member J-hope made fans excited by posting his version and soon after, #HopeOnTheStreet trended on Twitter.
However, many people are not a fan of the trend. Some commented on how dangerous it is.
Tweep @f1kawaja posted: “What is the benefit of #Kikichallenge I do not see anything good #Kiki”
Twitter user @RitaFakhry posted: “I think it’s utterly dangerous not only to the person dancing but to the one driving from getting into an accident #kikichallenge”
Sharing a video, that has also gone viral, of a girl doing the challenge in the middle of a road and a car hitting her, tweep @dadadanial expressed concern: “I always thought the Kiki challenge was really dangerous and someone might actually get hurt because you are actually dancing like... on the road.”
Tweep @comicMartinRizo was concerned that despite the dangers, the fad is growing in popularity: “This trend just doesn’t seem to be slowing down!”
UAE authorities have announced that carrying out the dance can lead to a Dh2,000 fine, 23 black points and the vehicle impounded for 60 days, Gulf News readers applauded the move on our social media pages.
Facebook user Amanda Sumoondur wrote: “Very good. People are getting stupider day by day! Everything is for likes and to feel validated somehow.”
“Good to know people have been arrested. This sets a dangerous example,” posted another Facebook user, Elize van Wyk.
