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In late August 2020, Steve Higdon picked up his iPhone and went to delete his TikTok account. The 58-year-old Louisville-based finance professional had created his profile just three days earlier. His contribution to the platform extended to one 60-second clip of himself clumsily opening a bottle of Willett Pot Still bourbon, emptying a large pour into a rocks glass, and sharing some simple tasting notes.
But when Higdon opened the app to end his fling with the short-form video platform, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The review had racked up over 60,000 views. Higdon jumped out of his seat and turned to his wife. “Honey, if I’m reading this right, I think I went viral,” he said. “And I’m not even fully sure what that means.”