Overview

YouTube Shorts Colonization, also known as March 25th, 2025, YouTube Shorts Colonization, refers to a trend in which TikTok users tried to "colonize" YouTube Shorts so that the algorithm of the platform behaves similar to the Chinese app and with less dead internet theory comments. The online movement started amid the United States TikTok Ban, which was initially scheduled to block the application on U.S.territory on January 19th, 2025, but was postponed by President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order granting TikTok a 75-day extension to comply with a law that requires a sale or ban of the platform. The extension deadline is on April 5th, 2025, which inspired TikTokers to create ironic memes planning a "mass colonization" on YouTube Shorts on March 25th in a similar movement to the Rednote TikTok Refugees meme in January 2025.

Background

On March 13th, 2025, TikTok^[1] user @leepicdude96 posted the Landing of Columbus painting with the text overlay "YouTube Shorts colonization March 25th." The post suggests people to post brainrot on the platform to replace "dead internet comments," which references a conspiracy theory claiming most of the internet has been taken over by artificial intelligence and most of the content on the web is fake and not produced by real humans. The video (seen below) amassed more than 450,000 plays and 70,000 likes in a day.

Online Reactions

The movement grew popular in the next few days, especially among TikTok users claiming one of the reasons for the colonization was the United States TikTok ban deadline of April 5th, 2025. For instance, on March 14th, 2025, TikTok^[2] user @junoisafreak posted a brainrot video asking TikTokers to move to YouTube Shorts on March 25th, as the platform is "the closest thing we have to TikTok, as it is 90% recycled TT content." The video (seen below) amassed roughly 1,300 plays and 85 likes in a few hours.

On March 13th, 2025, TikTok^[3] user @privden2 posted a video commenting on the YouTube Shorts colonization movement (seen below), which received more than 230,000 plays and 38,000 likes in a day.

Various Reactions

Search Interest

External References