‘The 21st century equivalent of court jesters’: TikTok’s dark obsession with ‘LOLCows’

On the internet, people go viral for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes, for the wrong ones.

LOLCows are one example of the internet’s darker sense of humor. While not a new term, an “LOLCow” is a “a person you get extensive laughs from, who doesn’t know they are being made fun of,” according to Urban Dictionary. In other words, a person being milked for “lols” or laughs. “They can often think they are admired for what they are doing, but secretly are being laughed at constantly,” the definition continues.

While online trolling is nothing new, TikTok’s algorithm and ease of access can now turn anyone into an overnight star—sometimes to their detriment. “When someone shows me their phone and their FYP is nothing but ‘lolcows,'” one TikTok post reads over a soundtrack calling that person a “loser.” One comment calls it, “the 21st century equivalent of court jesters or circus sideshows.”

After being thrust into the spotlight, LOLCow creators are often given opportunities to collaborate with bigger creators who profit off the engagement or are offered lucrative brand deals—most of the time only after being mocked online. While some fans claim to be supporting or uplifting the creators in question, it often crosses the line from lighthearted humor to ridicule, turning vulnerable creators into targets of relentless online obsession.

“LOLCows are almost always picked out by the internet because they essentially have disabilities,” explains TikTok creator @pinkbinz. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, if these people were never involved in the internet, their life would have been completely different. Most of the things that happen to them in their real life have happened thanks to the impact of people on the internet bullying them.”

@pinkbinz shawty bae and the modern lolcow #shawtybae #lolcow #reddit #lolcowtiktok ♬ original sound – pinkbinz

@pinkbinz shawty bae and the modern lolcow #shawtybae #lolcow #reddit #lolcowtiktok ♬ original sound – pinkbinz

shawty bae and the modern lolcow #shawtybae #lolcow #reddit #lolcowtiktok

Another video posted by @GamerMagee, says it is the audiences of the LOLCows we should be paying the most attention to. “The level of depravity of the people who are f*cking with them is just mind-boggling,” he said. “A lot of these aggressors . . . they’re able to keep their anonymity and get away with everything because they’re hidden behind a computer screen.

@gamermagee I could talk about lolcows for hours #lolcow #daniellarson #chrischan #rant #gamer #mydad #fyp ♬ original sound – Gamer time

@gamermagee I could talk about lolcows for hours #lolcow #daniellarson #chrischan #rant #gamer #mydad #fyp ♬ original sound – Gamer time

I could talk about lolcows for hours #lolcow #daniellarson #chrischan #rant #gamer #mydad #fyp

As a result of the public attention, LOLCows can be doxxed, where private or identifying information is shared publicly about them with malicious intent; or may become victims of swatting, the act of making hoax phone calls to report serious crimes to emergency services. In other cases, they can go on to self-destructive and even abusive behavior toward others, as viewers watch on in morbid fascination.

Reminder: There’s plenty to laugh at on the internet without making fun of vulnerable people.