TikTok Users Have Been Asking Followers To "TMU" — Here's What That Means

Anyone who's active on social media, whether they're trying to be active content creators or just fishing for some internet clout, knows how it feels when your posts don't do all that well. At a certain point, it can feel like all we want is to boost that engagement on our content so that those likes and notifications can truly start popping off. Well, short of begging our followers to like, share, and subscribe as we're wont to do, folks have had a more elegant way of asking for more views.

In late 2023, more and more people have taken to telling folks "TMU" on TikTok. The term itself has existed for a number of years by now, but it seems to have been newly popularized by a new song called "TMU" by rapper Snug, which was released on Nov. 17, 2023. Whether you heard it in the song and are jumping on the hype train or you're just trying to find out what new things folks are saying on the internet these days, here's what "TMU" actually means on platforms like TikTok.

You've probably heard of "HMU" or "hit me up" before, right? The phrase is simply used when one person is asking another person to let them know when they're around so they can hang out together. Well, you're already two-thirds of the way there when it comes to "TMU."

"TMU" literally means "turn me up." So, what does that mean, exactly?

Well lately, it's been heavily related to engagement on social media. When a social media user posts a new video on their preferred platform, they may ask their followers to "TMU," which typically means that they want their followers to engage with the video and help it become popular.

The phrase has become commonly used among TikTokers and even Twitch streamers, two platforms where engagement is vastly important.

But while some people are using the term independently, many people on TikTok associated the term with Snug's aforementioned new song of the same name. In fact, the artist even issued a challenge surrounding the song and its newfound popularity. In Snug's #TootItUp challenge, folks on TikTok and Instagram are being asked to post themselves vibing to "TMU." Whoever gets the most amount of likes by the Feb. 14 deadline receives a first-place cash prize of $1000 with prizes for second and third place as well.

In all honesty, though, more people seem to be vibing to the song in general rather than worrying about a cash prize. After all, we netizens never need a reason to ask folks to TMU on social media.