On TikTok, trends come and go fast. A week of social media detox and you could have missed the entire lifetime of a trend, from its inception to its third post-ironic revival. This oversaturation of trends means most disappear without a second thought from anyone. But a few have stood out from the crowd, such as the pandemic classic, the PowerPoint Night.
If you weren’t around for this one, it’s pretty simple. You gather a group of friends or housemates, and each person prepares a PowerPoint ahead of the event. Then, on the designated night, everyone takes turns presenting to the group, sometimes with the aid of laser pointers. Essentially, it’s a party that you do homework for. It sounds like a recipe for the most boring event ever.
But the fun part is that there is no standard format for the presentation: it’s completely up to interpretation. Because of this, the game is a great way to get to know one another better. The topic each person chooses gives you insight into the inner workings of their brain and their sense of humour. Some use it as a way to delve into a niche interest, while others enjoy pondering absurd questions or exposing each other’s Instagrams. All, of course, with an excessive amount of over-the-top slide transitions.
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Initially popularised during lockdown, the PowerPoint Night was a great way to socialize without having to leave the house. The process of making the presentations was simple, but it meant that everyone went into the event with a level of investment. The most exciting part is the title reveal, which created a friendly sense of competition to see who could choose the most out of pocket or scandalous topic.
The Best PowerPoint Night Examples
Here are some of the best examples of the creative PowerPoints people came up with as part of the trend. From friend groups to classrooms and families, PowerPoint nights are a universally fun activity.
The trend caught on substantially, with #powerpointnight garnering 249.3 million views on TikTok. Some people posted highlight clips of their own events or presentations in full, while others shared their topic ideas. Seeing the amount of fun people have presenting and cheering each other on, it’s hard not to want to do it yourself. Who knows? Maybe it’s time for this trend to come back.
After all, there are fewer better ways to get to know your new housemates or coursemates with so many Freshers heading to university this month.
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