- “Aura farming” turns charisma and presence into a kind of social marker inspired by video games.
- Aura battles have jumped from TikTok to squares in Spanish cities such as Vigo, Valladolid, León, Zaragoza or Tenerife.
- Two young people face off with viral poses, looks, and gestures while the audience decides who has more aura with their reactions.
- Adolescent specialists see this trend as a form of play, group belonging, and experimentation with identity.
In a matter of months, "aura farming" has gone from a niche expression to a massive social game among teenagers and pre-teens. What started as a joke on TikTok and in gaming communities has transformed into massive meetups in squares across Spain and other countries, with young people competing to see who exudes the most charisma in front of a circle of alofted phones.
Behind this phenomenon there are no punches or fights in the traditional sense, but rather poses, stares, exaggerated gestures, and references taken directly from internet language . For many adults, it's almost indecipherable; for those who have grown up with TikTok, Instagram, or other platforms, it's simply another way to play, to get noticed, and to symbolically measure who has more "aura."
What does “aura farming” really mean?
To understand this trend, we need to break down the expression. On the one hand, "farming" comes from the English word "to farm" and has been used for years in video games to refer to repeating an action with the goal of accumulating experience, coins, items, or any type of reward. A player "farms" when they dedicate time to acquiring resources and improving their character, something very common if we explore the most popular types of Android video games .
On the other hand, the term “aura” has shifted away from its spiritual meaning to become a kind of imaginary measure of a person's charisma, presence, or style. In the language of Generation Z and Generation Alpha, having an aura means projecting confidence, magnetism, and a special ability to attract attention “without seeming like you're trying.”
When someone "farms aura," what they're essentially doing is accumulating symbolic points of charisma and social status in the eyes of those around them. A witty response, an elegant gesture, a striking performance, or particularly confident behavior can translate into comments like "+1000 aura" or "they farmed a ton of aura," both on the street and in video comments.
If things go wrong, the code works in reverse: making a fool of yourself, losing your temper, or overdoing the pose is interpreted as "losing your aura ." There's no official score or real scoring system; it's all part of the social game and the humor shared online.
From a TikTok meme to a global phenomenon
Although the idea of impressing others is as old as adolescence, the term “aura farming” has become firmly established in recent years within digital culture . The first clear references to the term on TikTok were documented in early 2024, linked to anime, video game, and meme communities, which began using “aura farming” to comment on the charisma of characters and celebrities.
The breakthrough came with a video that went viral on social media: an 11-year-old Indonesian boy, Rayyan Arkan Dikha , dancing on the bow of a traditional boat during a festival. Wearing sunglasses and a typical headdress, he repeated calm but hypnotic movements to encourage the rowers, and users began to label him “aura farming kid on boat.”
From there, the clip was remixed with all kinds of songs and imitated by athletes and media figures , from American football players to Formula 1 drivers, as well as YouTubers and artists. Each new version was seen as an exercise in "farming aura": displaying an almost theatrical confidence, but one perceived as natural, in front of the camera.
This context aligns with the evolution of the term itself: from describing a charismatic gesture in a video to inspiring an entire way of behaving , first on camera and later face-to-face in public spaces. Meme culture thus blends with the need to stand out and accumulate interactions or glances, something that for many young people has become almost second nature.
What is an aura battle and how does it work?
The next step has been to take that code to the streets. Aura battles are meetups where two participants stand face to face and have a few seconds to convince the others that they have the most aura. It's not about singing or rapping; there's no physical contact either. The "battle" is fought with poses, glances, little dances, and gestures that are very recognizable to those who consume viral content.
These battles feature moves like the "Six Seven," the mewing, anime references, sports celebrations, and popular memes . Each participant builds their performance on attitude, style, walk, facial expressions, and calculated postures designed to project confidence. Words might be used with a humorous comment, but the emphasis is on body language.
There are no set rules or standard scoring system. The audience acts as an impromptu jury and decides who has cultivated the most aura through their reactions: shouts, laughter, applause, or simply the intensity of the noise they generate around the circle. At some gatherings, a formal jury is appointed, but in most, the verdict is built on cheers.
Psychologists specializing in adolescence describe these battles as a “symbolic social status game .” What is transformed into imaginary points of aura is precisely what weighs most heavily at these ages: how my peers perceive me, what place I occupy within the group, and what reaction my actions elicit.
From TikTok to the squares of Spain
After sweeping through Latin American countries like Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia , where the first battles were organized in plazas and parks, the trend has taken off in Europe, and Spain in particular. In just a few weeks, events have been organized in various cities, spread primarily through TikTok and Instagram.
In Vigo, for example, a large-scale "aura battle" has been organized, open to anyone who wants to participate , with hundreds of young people expected to attend, both participants and spectators. The event is being billed as a kind of informal championship where the crowd will decide who has the most "aura," in an environment reminiscent of a boxing ring, but with no weapons other than charisma.
Valladolid has also joined the trend. Campo Grande has become the stage for one of the city's first "aura battles ," where young people have replaced the improvised verses of rap battles with movements, poses, and gestures taken from internet slang. The idea is the same: to face off in front of an impromptu audience and win them over with your presence.
In León, the event took place in the Parque del Tren, opposite El Corte Inglés department store , with a pre-arranged program of several duels before opening the area to free participation. The format was the same: two participants in the center, a ring of cell phones recording around them, and a series of viral dance moves to try and win over the audience.
The craze has also reached Plaza de la Seo in Zaragoza , where an "Aura Battle" has been organized with a symbolic starting time (18:07 PM, a nod to the viral "Six Seven") and prizes for those who stand out the most, as voted by the public. This event perfectly encapsulates the trajectory of the trend: a phenomenon born on the internet that ends up occupying an emblematic space in the historic center of a major city.
A new playground: from the Canary Islands to Galicia and Castile and León
The phenomenon is not limited to the Iberian Peninsula. In the Canary Islands, a battle of auras in El Cuadrilátero de La Laguna (Tenerife) has produced one of the most talked-about scenes on social media: two young men facing off, taking turns showing off poses and movements, while dozens of people surround them, recording every gesture and cheering on the one they consider more charismatic.
In A Coruña, one of the most talked-about gatherings filled the Méndez Núñez Gardens with hundreds of attendees , including curious onlookers and young people who knew every reference and gesture perfectly. From the outside, many adults saw the scene as almost inexplicable; for the participants, it was simply “playing at auras.”
Plaza de la Marina, in another coastal city, witnessed a similar scene: children and teenagers improvising a battle circle , without balls or trading cards involved, just cell phones recording, costumes, personalized t-shirts, and one word that echoed throughout the air: aura. There, the local police even had to intervene briefly due to a misunderstanding, although the gathering continued without incident.
In all these cities, the pattern repeats itself time and again: the gatherings originate on specific TikTok or Instagram accounts , are shared among groups of friends, and eventually move to parks, plazas, or youth recreation areas. Then, videos of the events resurface on social media, completing the cycle and fueling new meetups in other parts of the world.
For those who have already left adolescence behind, the common feeling is that they are witnessing a transformation of the very concept of "playing in the street ." Where before there was hide-and-seek or impromptu games, now there is an abundance of choreographed routines, viral gestures, and challenges designed, at least in part, with how they will look on camera.
Why is it so captivating for teenagers and pre-teens?
Experts in educational psychology agree that "aura farming" perfectly fits the needs of adolescence . It combines elements of play, humor, competition, social exposure, and a sense of belonging to a group, all wrapped in a code that young people feel is their own and, to a large extent, foreign to adults.
According to professionals who work with teenagers, peer validation carries far more weight than family validation at this stage. Aura battles offer a stage on which to test different ways of presenting oneself to the world: what gestures work, what kind of attitude generates laughter or admiration, and where the line is drawn between appearing confident and seeming overacted.
Some experts even speak of the “gamification of identity .” Just as in a video game you accumulate points or resources, here you accumulate (or lose) aura depending on the reaction of those around you. There is no real scoreboard, but there is a shared feeling that certain behaviors will “add” or “subtract” from the group's perception.
Another key feature is the generational component: many adults deliberately stay out of the code . The kids know very well what it means to gain or lose aura, while a good portion of the parents are still trying to decipher the slang. This gap in understanding also serves a purpose: each generation of teenagers builds its own language to distance itself from the previous one.
From a critical perspective, some teachers and families are wondering what place traditional toys and classic physical games now occupy . Seeing a playground filled with mobile phones, dancing, and posing can raise concerns about how quickly digital trends are reshaping children's and young people's leisure time. However, others point out that, deep down, kids are still looking for the same things they've always wanted: to laugh, connect with others, and feel like they belong, only now they're using a new code.
Taken together, “aura farming” and the battles associated with this expression show the extent to which TikTok culture and video games have colonized the way the younger generation interacts . It's simply another way to measure who has the most impact on others, but wrapped in memes, viral trends, and an imaginary scoreboard that only exists in the group's mind. While some generations try to understand what it means to gain “+1000 aura,” others are already thinking about the next meetup to once again be the center of attention.