Gongs have been used for centuries in East and Southeast Asian music, ceremony and theatre, where a single strike could announce an arrival, open a performance or mark a solemn moment. That ceremonial association carried into film, television and stage sound design, where the deep, lingering tone became shorthand for importance, finality or surprise. On video platforms and in livestreams, creators adopted the same effect for reveals, fails and punchlines, and the loud, clean strike remains popular because it is instantly recognisable even without any picture.