How a US blogger made millions off clickbait and became Minnesota’s TikTok star

After creating the trending news site 22 Words, Piper turned his attention to offline pursuits: painting and starting a puzzle company. — Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS

MINNEAPOLIS: In northeast Minneapolis’ arts district, a tall, lanky man with slate-coloured, shoulder-length hair often wanders by the railroad tracks with his phone at arm’s length, recording himself.

By posting selfie videos expounding on “How Relationships Are Like A Night At The Casino”, “Why Quitting Is Awesome” and “Why It’s Weird To Make Kids Read The Bible”, among other subjects, Abraham Piper has become one of Minnesota’s most popular TikTokers, with nearly a million followers. His high-energy, hyper-expressive persona resembles Wayne from Wayne’s World, waxing philosophical about linguistics and the meaning of life.