TikTok has given birth to some of the most popular and perplexing slang and meme comments on social media today. If you’ve spent any time scrolling through TikTok lately, you’ve probably come across the viral comment “Common Tate W” under numerous videos. But what exactly does this enigmatic phrase mean and where did it come from?
As a social media marketing expert, I’m going to fully unravel the history and usage of the “Common Tate W” trend so you can gain a master understanding of who, what, when, where, why, and how it took TikTok by storm.
The Meteoric Rise of TikTok: A Platform Primed for Viral Trends
To understand how comments go viral on TikTok, it helps to understand TikTok’s features and demographics. TikTok has become one of the world’s fastest growing social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide as of September 2021.
| Month | TikTok Monthly Active Users |
|---|---|
| January 2018 | 54.8 million |
| January 2019 | 271.2 million |
| January 2020 | 507.6 million |
| September 2021 | 1 billion |
Unlike platforms like Facebook and Instagram that rely heavily on real-world social connections, TikTok’s algorithmically generated “For You” feed shows users a endless stream of videos based on their interests and engagement. This presents videos from a broad range of users rather than just who you follow.
Short-form vertical videos, catchy music, and meme humor make content on TikTok extremely consumable, shareable, and ripe for viral inside joke comments. The app has been downloaded over 3.3 billion times since launching in 2017, with 41% of users between 16 and 24 years old.
This massive Gen Z user base means both original trends and comments can propagate quickly as teen users mimic formats they enjoy. Fueled by youth culture and an algorithm promoting discovery, TikTok has become the perfect breeding ground for viral memes and comments.
Andrew Tate: The Controversial Figure Behind “Common Tate W”
So who exactly is Andrew Tate, and why is his name attached to this viral comment?
Andrew Tate is a British-American former kickboxer turned entrepreneur, social media influencer, and self-help guru. He first gained notoriety when he appeared on the reality show Big Brother in 2016.
After being removed from Big Brother for a video that surfaced showing him physically assaulting a woman, Tate moved to Romania and launched a webcam business called TateSpeech. He then began building an online personal brand through his YouTube channel, podcast, and social media accounts promoting toxic philosophies around male dominance and Other controversial views.
Though banned from major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, clips of Tate’s interviews and speeches still spread rapidly online. He sells various “War Room” courses promising wealth through dropshipping, NFTs, and cryptocurrency. The courses retail for thousands of dollars and Tate heavily promotes affiliate marketing, giving commissions to those who recruit new students.
Breaking Down the Meaning of “Common Tate W”
So where does the “Common Tate W” comment come from? The saying began popping up on TikTok videos featuring Andrew Tate in early 2022.
The “W” in “Common Tate W” stands for “win,” so the full meaning of the comment is:
“Common Tate win”
People write “Common Tate W” on TikTok videos where they agree with the viewpoint Andrew Tate is expressing. It‘s almost like saying “Tate’s take here is valid” or “Tate makes a good point.”
The comment originated from Tate fans and affiliates but has expanded beyond just videos about him. Now you see it on all types of content where the TikTok user wants to agree with or co-sign the perspective.
For example:
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On a video making a controversial hot take, someone might comment “Common Tate W” to endorse this perspective.
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On a video giving money advice, a user could comment “Common Tate W” to praise the financial tips.
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On a video complaining about modern dating, someone may comment “Common Tate W” to convey they relate to the frustration.
The comment has become a universal shorthand to say “you’re speaking facts” or “I also agree with this take” across topics on TikTok.
The Snowball Effect: How “Common Tate W” Achieved Virality
So how did this comment spread from a niche meme to one of the most ubiquitous comments on TikTok now? The platform’s unique algorithm and culture enabled its viral explosion.
Unlike other social networks, a single TikTok video can gain hundreds of millions or even billions of views as it gets shared to the vast For You page audience. Videos with over 1 billion views are not uncommon. With view counts like this, the number of people seeing (and potentially copying) any given comment skyrockets.
“Common Tate W” benefited from coming early in Tate’s wave of popularity and controversy on TikTok. As more users saw the comment and recognized it as a new trend, they jumped to participate. Even those unfamiliar with the full meaning realized it was a trending inside joke to replicate.
This bandwagon effect of users wanting to participate in trending memes they observe is a psychological phenomenon that propels viral social media content. Online influence also causes herd mentality, where people adopt certain behaviors and opinions after seeing many others displaying them.
As a social media expert, I refer to this as “momentum marketing.” Trending comment memes gain momentum exponentially once they reach a certain adoption point. TikTok’s hyper-engaged young user base and algorithm rapidly gave the “Common Tate W” comment the momentum needed to become ubiquitous.
The Affiliate Marketing Motivations Behind the Comment
For Andrew Tate’s brand affiliates who run TikTok fan accounts, spamming the “Common Tate W” comment serves business goals beyond just participating in a meme.
These accounts aim to gain a large TikTok following by posting engaging content about Tate. They then promote Tate’s affiliate program in their bio, directing users to his website to purchase courses. If someone signs up through their unique affiliate link, the account owner will receive a commission.
Spamming viral comments like “Common Tate W” helps these accounts amass followers who they can potentially funnel into Tate’s sales ecosystem. The more affiliates drive traffic to Tate’s program, the more he compensates them. This financial incentive fuels affiliates to create follow-worthy content and perpetuate engaging comments.
Comparable Viral TikTok Comment Trends
“Common Tate W” isn’t the first or last viral comment trend on TikTok. Here are some other examples of comments that rapidly amassed popularity:
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“Leave Britney Alone” – References the famous viral rant defending Britney Spears, used humorously on TikTok to plead for compassion.
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“Bro Think He Carti” – Mocks people trying to imitate Playboi Carti, similar to “pick me girl” comments.
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*“CEO of Not Taking Any Sht”** – Praises women calling out misogyny or defending themselves.
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“Men” / “Pick Mes” – Used to joke about gender roles and stereotypes.
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“She Belongs to the Streets” – Quote from rapper Future said about disloyal women.
Some gain traction due to association with pop culture moments, while others tap into cultural commentaries around gender, relationships, and generational divides. TikTok users latch onto comments that resonate with widely felt attitudes or experiences.
Best Practices for Viral Comment Marketing
As a social media expert, I believe brands looking to organically engage audiences on TikTok can learn a lot from trending comment strategies like “Common Tate W.” Here are my top tips for winning at viral comment marketing:
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Monitor rising organic trends in your niche and identify comments gaining traction to piggyback off. Act fast once momentum picks up.
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Create easily replicable, funny, or evocative comments based on popular soundbites, memes, or cultural sentiments.
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Respond early and frequently on accounts with videos going viral (10M+ views) related to your brand. Get your comment in as the view counts rise.
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Encourage loyal followers to help replicate and spread your branded comment memes through contests and engagement initiatives.
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Use descriptive emoji combinations for branded comment hashtags to make association more visual.
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Develop unique comment creatives vs. relying on overused formats, while still tapping into current meme humor.
While viral comments may seem trivial, the tremendous awareness and impression volume they garner makes them a marketing channel not to be overlooked in today’s attention economy.
The Evolution of Slang: Online Culture Creating Common Languages
In the world of digital media, written conversations often don’t allow for the depth of nuance and complexity people can communicate through in-person language. Slang provides efficient linguistic shortcuts, cramming layers of meaning into quick phrases.
Trending comment slang gives online communities a sense of local dialect and belonging. The repeal value of repeating funny or resonant comments breeds familiarity as users internalize the sentiment they carry. These meme comments evolve rapidly, but at any given time offer a rich shared lexicon known to insiders.
Andrew Tate and “Common Tate W” introduced some of the most distinct cultural vocabulary of 2022. For TikTok users, the comment captures attitudes around gender politics, social provocation, and the nature of truth itself. As mainstream awareness grows, the meaning behind “Common Tate W” provides a window into the web’s strange evolving vernaculars.
The Bottom Line
In closing, “Common Tate W” represents a comment trend birthed from the vortex of controversy surrounding Andrew Tate that gained immensity through TikTok’s algorithm and culture. The simple phrase spawned countless interpretations. For some, it communicates endorsement of toxic rhetoric, while for others it’s merely the joke du jour.
But for all who notice it peppered under TikTok videos far and wide, “Common Tate W” showcases the Web’s uncanny ability to forge shared languages overnight and send niche inside jokes barreling into the mainstream. Now that you know the origins and meaning behind the comment, you can chuckle knowingly next time you see “Common Tate W” referenced on TikTok or beyond.
