Lately, do you find Radiohead's No Surprises striking a chord, preferably in the minor key? Have non-descript phrases like “real” or “based” been slipping into your sentences more frequently? Has your notes app become indistinguishable from an amateur poetry collection? If you answered yes to any of these and are a frequent user of TikTok then your For You page may be subject to the latest phenomenon commonly known as the “Deep Slideshow”. 

Made increasingly popular by the addition of "Photo Mode" in October 2022, a feature allowing users to upload up to 35 photos in a swipe-able slideshow-esque format, "Deep Slideshows" have grasped the For You pages of many. 

These cocktails of grainy Tumblr, Twitter and Whisper- sourced memes attack the most vulnerable parts of ourselves. Elaborating in as few words as possible ( supplemented by a sturdy foundation of cut-and-pasted images from classic "Sad Films" like Girl Interrupted , The Virgin Suicides or Perks Of Being  A Wallflower ) niche emotions, challenges and experiences that you would not have expected to be re-surfaced upon initially opened the app.

Sub-trends such as the "Scott Street slideshow" cater to those with a crutch for nostalgia; the trend, most popular in 2022, consisted of users posting heart-warming photos of themselves as children accompanied by the melancholic Scott Street by Phoebe Bridgers, a song reflecting on ideas of growing older and life moving on. This was then chased by a bitter caption on each slide briefly detailing things that childhood innocence protected them from e.g. stress or anxiety. 

For those with an inextinguishable rage within them and a taste for ribbons may be suited "Feminine Rage" slideshows: embellished with heavy-hitting Lana Del Rey hits like Dealer, this sub-trend encapsulates a more aggressive emotion, with users recounting their experiences in woman hood usually with film icons such as Pearl or Daisy Randone.

Deep Slideshows, though on the surface may appear to be slurries of misery and malaise, can help those going through issues realise that they are not alone in their struggles , and feel comforted.