Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
It takes me a minute to figure out what’s going on in this TikTok livestream happening on the morning of the US presidential election.
The screen is split in two. On the top, a man is streaming himself from the chest up, shouting at viewers. On the bottom is an electoral map of the US, with each state colored red (Republican), blue (Democrat), yellow (third-party), or tan (unclaimed). The man appears to be auctioning off the Electoral College.
“Uh oh! Two Texas blues just came in, ladies and gentlemen!” he shouts, clicking to change the state of Texas from red to blue. A few seconds later, Texas goes red again. “It’s a neck and neck game right here!” he says. “It’s anybody’s game right here! Oh! I just got an Arizona blue!”
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