This > That
What is the This > That trend?
Creators use the 'A > B' text format over calm, cinematic b-roll to name their personal hierarchy: what they choose, what they skip, what wins. Brands use it to name the specific trade-off or preference their customer makes, placing their product or experience on the winning side of the comparison.
Origin
The "X > Y" comparison convention used in this trend traces to Twitter, where the greater-than symbol was adopted as informal shorthand for "is better than." Know Your Meme documents an October 2019 post by @IronNinja2000 as one of the earliest examples of this multi-image tweet format, with a broad viral spike occurring on Twitter in April 2020 and a further resurgence in December 2020. The format subsequently migrated across platforms and aligned with the early-to-mid-2020s TikTok and Instagram Reels practice of pairing calm, cinematic b-roll with declarative text overlays, becoming a vehicle for expressing lifestyle preference. No single viral originator, specific audio, or first creator has been identified as the catalyst for the cinematic b-roll variant of the trend.
Great for
Aesthetic lifestyle b-roll Product-in-use routine footage Slow close-up of product texture or finish Candid behind-the-scenes moment
Examples
The Saturday morning restock ritual > any other errand This serum > the seven-step routine it replaced The new packaging > the unboxing video
Sources
Turn a trend into an on-brand short from footage you already have.
More trends
