Sidetalk

About

Sidetalk, also known as Sidetalk NYC or by their handle @sidetalknyc, is a social media page that focuses on street interviews of New York City residents and events. Their interviews are known for being extra-loud and edited, involving multiple cuts of NYC residents performing for the camera and microphone. Sidetalk has accounts on multiple platforms like Instagram, YouTube and TikTok starting in October 2019. As of October 2021, Sidetalk's Instagram page has roughly 643,000 followers, the most out of all of its accounts.

History

Sidetalk started in late 2019 created by New York University students Jack Byrne and Trent Simonian who were freshmen at the time of its creation.^[1] The first video that they made is titled "New York Fashion Week" and it was posted on YouTube^[2] on October 24th, 2019. The video follows Simonian in a hoodie with a microphone, both sporting the Sidetalk logo, going around SoHo Manhattan and talking to people during New York Fashion Week. The video (shown below) received roughly 81,200 views and 1,300 likes over the course of two years. They also uploaded the video to their Instagram^[3] on September 9th, 2019, where it received roughly 115,600 views and 7,200 likes over the course of two years.

Sidetalk gained its largest following on its Instagram^[4] page. They've gained roughly 643,000 followers over the course of two years. Sidetalk received a spike in followers after a video^[5] they posted on March 11th, 2020, of them documenting the Jewish holiday Purim in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The video (shown below) received roughly 239,900 views and 22,100 likes over the course of a year and a half. This video, in particular, gained them a following because they collaborated with Instagrammer @newyorknico^[6] in its creation. On March 11th, @newyorknico tagged them in a post^[7] which received roughly 9,000 likes and gained Sidetalk 10,000 followers as a result.^[1]

Sidetalk began posting on TikTok starting with a video^[8] on March 23rd, 2020. Sidetalk continued to post content on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok going into 2021. Their most viewed video^[9] on their Instagram was posted on August 11th, 2021, and takes place in Union Square where the New Yorkers in the video rant about Governor Cuomo's resignation. The video (shown below) received roughly 1.1 million views and 210,500 likes over the course of two months.

Sidetalk has also begun to incorporate more hosts into their rotation like Lil “Mo” Mozzarella, Bigtime Tommie and Spidercuz, among others.

Related Memes

Bing Bong

A notable trend in Sidetalk videos is their coverage of the New York Knicks fanbase outside of Madison Square Garden. They've posted three videos of Knicks fans outside the home arena receiving viral attention with each one. On October 21st, 2021, Sidetalk posted a video^[10] after the Knicks won their first game of the 2021-2022 season. The video (shown below) received roughly 814,200 views and 114,900 likes in six days. In the video, one of the edited clips is a guy just saying "Bing Bong," mimicking the opening sound of every Sidetalk video.

Although the first instance of someone saying "Bing Bong" in a Sidetalk video was posted on September 10th, 2021,^[11] in Coney Island, the Knicks fan saying "Bing Bong" caused Knicks fans to adopt the catchphrase for their fanbase. For instance, on October 26th, 2021, Knicks player Evan Fournier tweeted^[12] "Bing Bong" after the team beat the 76er's. The tweet (shown below) received roughly 24,100 likes in one day.

Search Interest

External References