What happens when the recognition that comes with being a high school student revolves around his TikTok videos?
Mount Carmel sophomore Hunter Hawkins is faced with exactly this situation. He has gained around 16,000 followers as well as millions of likes on his channel, much more than he could have imagined gaining upon his initial posts.
His videos do not just stay on TikTok. They become a topic of conversation among students and teachers at school.
Hawkins started making TikToks over this past summer. At the time, he was not trying to build an audience or become known online. Instead, his motivation came from a simple conversation that encouraged him.
“I was talking to this girl, and she told me I should start posting,” he says.
After that, he experimented with posting videos on a separate account. Some of his early videos have since been deleted because he felt embarrassed by them. He then changed what kind of videos he wanted to post and started to get into a rhythm of making content that worked.
One of Hawkins’ recurring content formats is a daily “poker face” series, where he reacts to trending or unusual audio clips while trying to maintain a straight expression. The series has become one of the more recognizable parts of his account and gives his audience a consistent reason to return.
Then one of his poker face videos became a viral hit. Hawkins remembers when he saw for himself just how much more exposure his videos were getting.
“I looked at my phone and saw almost a thousand likes in ten minutes,” he says. “I was like, what the heck is going on?”
This is when he knew that he could maybe do more for his TikToks. This was not just a casual account anymore, but something people worldwide could see. He knows that not everyone will like his videos, and he is fine with that.
“It’s definitely cringy, but some people find it funny,” he says.
He continues posting because people are watching. He does not focus on how many views his TikToks get, but he makes sure that he is having fun while making them.
Reactions from other students show that Hawkins’ content does not have a single unified response. Instead, opinions vary depending on personal taste. Junior Jeremy Ingram described the videos as somewhat entertaining but not something he would regularly watch. He explained that part of the appeal comes from how unusual the context can feel.
“It’s funny,” says Ingram. “People watch it because it’s weird.”
While the videos may not appeal to everyone, their unusual style still grabs attention and keeps people watching. Sophomore James Weber had a more critical view, as it does not stand out to him personally.
“I would instantly scroll past it,” Weber says. “It’s just a generic short-form content.”
While the content by Hawkins attracted a lot of followers, he also noticed a shift in reactions from his classmates. At first, he was getting more negative feedback and criticism since his account had just begun.
However, with time, his following grew, and this changed the way people reacted to his posts. He was posting more videos that spread easily due to their exaggerated nature.
According to Hawkins, what makes him different from other content creators is his perception of TikTok.
“I don’t consider this a real job,” he says. “I just do it for fun.” He does make some money through TikTok (from the platform’s creator reward program, which requires at least 10,000 followers and then he gets paid a certain amount per view on his TikTok), but he would rather have fun than stress over not getting a certain number of views.
Hawkins’ rise to fame through TikTok shows how quickly attention can grow in the case of any individual who manages to grab the interest of high school students on social media. Whether people watch to laugh, question, or scroll past, Hawkins’ videos are still being seen, and in today’s world, that attention is what keeps them going.
