TikTok has been a very popular app since it launched in September of 2016 and became widely popular and used over the past five years. Having over 689 million monthly active users as of January 2021 according to Data Reportal worldwide. It is known for showcasing a variety of things across many different topics, where you can end up different sides of TikTok based on the videos you like that cater a specific “for you page” for you to view.
One side of TikTok that many people landed at the end of last year was where teens and young adults were recording the use of an app called Randonautica. Where you see them exploring places along streams, fields, or even abandoned buildings. This Generation, Generation Z, has a fascination with true crime, and Randonauting opened that up to a load of possibilities fueling that obsession of needing to know what kind of things happened in a certain area and why. Teens and young adults have a need to seek out exploration and adventures, even if sometimes that curiosity could lead them to stumble upon things they really didn’t want to.
This app encourages you and your friends to go exploring in your local area. The app gives you generated number set of coordinates close to you based on your location. The purpose of the app is when you do go exploring is to have some kind of purpose in mind that can be anything big or small. For instance, trying to get clarity about something that is bothering you or see a lost loved one. There are a set of rules you need to follow before you go off on exploring that many do not follow. They are as follows: if you decide to go off adventuring try to do it during the daytime because it is safer and prevents you from getting lost in the dark, it is encouraged to go off with a group of friends if you don’t feel confident going by yourself because there is always safety in numbers, if the area you are exploring looks dangerous then it mostly like is don’t risk your safety because you are that curious, do not trespass which should be self-explanatory but the curiosity gets the best of some people, and always keep social distancing in mind for everyone’s safety.
Seems like a safe and harmless way of exploring your area, but many teens and young adult do not follow these rules with intentions in mind like seeing spirits or strange occurrences. Causing them to see and experience phenomenons that make you question what they really saw. According to Heavy.com, a group of teenagers using the app went to a location, found a suitcase full of human body parts, and instantly called the police. More and more instances of things happening like this one are happening even more, which made Randonautica gain headlines because of TikTok spreading it like wildfire.
Three women who have used this app graciously shared their stories with me and the occurrences they each encountered when using this app. Cheyenne Leigh (29), Jillian Houghton (25), and Mykena Rae (18) all stumbled across Randonauting on TikTok curious to try it out for themselves after seeing the strange and weird things that people experienced. They wanted to experience it for themselves. All of them except one read through the rules and guidelines, Mykena Rae. With the others, they read through the rules and followed the guidelines to set what their intentions were, and with this app, it is never a guarantee you see or experience or anything, but each of them did.
Cheyenne and her friends had the intention of something spooky to happen to them, but she said and I quote “Yes, I had fully intended something spooky to happen to me. But when you watch something that you don’t experience it intrigues you. But then when it really does happen to you. You either wanna continue to do it. Or say f**k this.” They found an abandoned building with their intention and it seemed weird, but when they decided to leave they noticed a man walking in the back of the car. That same man was not showing up on the car’s rearview camera, but everything around him was. She deleted the app after that and really did not know how to explain to herself what she just witnessed.
Check out the video through this link on TikTok
Jullian and her friend set out with the intention of crazy nature and they found an area of a house in her neighborhood covered in a huge among of trees and flowers you could barely see the house. Their second intention was the color red, and she found a graffiti-filled wall with the word red sprayed painted on it. Jullian believes, “I think more and more teens are using this app because there is something genuinely interesting about going to places you never would have thought to go to. The Randonautica experience was presented on TikTok as a way to break out of your routine and possibly out of your current reality and this was very intriguing to me and I am sure other people.”
Mykena Rae and her friends didn’t look through the rules and guidelines but just skipped through to get the coordinates right away. “When I first downloaded it, I skipped over the informational video and just wanted to get straight into it. My friend and I were very impatient and we just wanted to see what all the hype was about. I’m sure if I would have listened to the rules, it would have prevented me from doing anything or going any places that I wasn’t supposed to,” Mykena stated. Their intention first was money or love, but they did not find anything, so they went with the intention of death. They had set this intention before and nothing happened, but this time they stumbled upon a man getting shot. Resulting in them calling the police.
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The app is not for everyone and most people who have a bad experience like Mykena, never used the app again because of their experiences. Always remember to follow the rules and guidelines to stay safe. All of them experienced something strange and unexplained, stumbling into things they didn’t even know how to explain to themselves.
Paving the way for a generation obsessed with things like the strange and unexplained, and true crime. Here comes along an app where they can use it to possibly uncover mysteries and even help solve old cold cases. Even just running into strange unexplained occurrences like Nancy Drew did. A whole new age of “Nancy Drew’s” where people from many different backgrounds are exploring this app and using it to help solve cases. The group of teens who found a suitcase filled with human body parts helped solve a double murder. When you think of “Nancy Drew” or a teen solving cases in a town you think of the same white teenage girl who always solves cases for the town. Now, when you think of Nancy Drew it won’t be limited just to the white teenage girl, but many teens and young adults from different cultures and backgrounds. Trying to help society even if it is by accident while being careful by following the app’s guidelines.
