In Khaby Lame's case, a video is worth a thousand words.
The content creator has dethroned Charli D'Amelio as being the most-followed person on TikTok, racking up more than 142.9 million followers, all without ever saying a word.
In his duet videos, Khaby, reacts to popular clips of life hacks that are often more complicated than they should be. Oftentimes, he's seen simply shrugging or offering an exasperated head shake.
"I came up with the idea because I was seeing these videos circulating, and I liked the idea of bringing some simplicity to it," Khaby told CNN last year. "I thought of a way to reach as many people as possible. And the best way was not to speak."
To learn more about Khaby, keep reading.
1) He is based in Italy
The 22-year-old was born in Senegal and moved to Italy with his parents when he was only a year old.
He spent most of his life in public housing, which he believes gave him exposure to the world beyond Italy. "There we were people from every ethnicity, so we would protect each other a lot," he shared with CNN. "There was never an issue about racism."
2) He first started making videos on YouTube
Like many content creators, Khaby was making videos long before TikTok.
"I made videos on YouTube as a child, but only my father and uncle watched them," he told HypeBeast earlier this month. "And it was with TikTok that I realized that I had found the ideal platform for me to upload my self-deprecating and comic videos."
3) He won't be talking in his videos anytime soon
As for why he thinks so many people resonate with his content, Khaby said it boils down to an easy science. "Maybe because my facial expressions are funny and they make people laugh," he told CNN. "This simplicity makes people laugh and I love it."
4) He posted his first TikTok in 2020 after finding himself in unforeseen circumstances
In early 2020, Khaby began posting videos after he lost his job as a factory worker. At the time, he spent days at his parents' home in Chivasso looking for work. His luck changed when he made the decision to download TikTok and began posting videos of himself under the name Khaby Lame. The rest is history.
5) He's diving into the fashion world
Like Khaby, fashion requires no words, which makes his newest venture that much more fitting. He recently partnered with BOSS and he created a limited-edition capsule collection for Spring/Summer 2022.