TikTok, TikTok, TikTok. There’s not a week that goes by when I don’t hear about the social media platform in some way, shape, or fashion. Sometimes for something interesting someone has posted that went viral, but most often because of a TikTok challenge. Usually one that’s gone wrong or has destructive or dangerous repercussions.
At least, those are the ones that make the news. Like last month when the Blackout Challenge resulted in a 10-year-old girl dying.
Although, I seem to recall a Blackout Challenge before. Maybe pre-TikTok, when challenges were a rage on Facebook? (And maybe still are? My no socials ban is still pretty much in place against FB.)
At any rate, if I’m remembering correctly, the other Blackout Challenge also resulted in some deaths as well as brain injuries.
Another one I heard a lot about last year was the destroy a bathroom TikTok challenge. Which was pretty crappy. (Pun totally intended.) Cost a lot of schools money they don’t have for covering expensive repairs. And in some cases shut down bathrooms in public parks for the same reason.
Super uncool.
Listen, I remember all too well my teenage years. I was a hot mess. If I’d had social media back then, who knows what mischief I would’ve gotten into. I might’ve done some of these dumb challenges too.
Except I’d like to think I would’ve been smarter than that. We never recorded any of the dumb shit we did. Thank goodness. There are definitely moments I’m glad that can’t come back to haunt me.
But for another, why would we? Even before true crime was a thing, we were well aware of incriminating evidence. We took care not to leave traceable tracks of misdeeds at all costs.
But times are different now and going viral, even if it means getting in trouble, is an actual goal. Consequences be damned. #Disturbing
What I can’t help but wonder about some of these challenges though is exactly who’s behind creating them?
Companies use TikTok challenges to raise brand awareness and promote products. I get that. Some folks are super creative and just want to have fun and a way to connect with others or to raise awareness for a cause that’s near and dear to their heart. Understandable.
Then there are some that surely must be a parody or joke of some sort but take off. Forbes recently wrote about a Sleepy Chicken TikTok challenge where you cook chicken in NyQuil. Allegedly it’s supposed to help you feel better.
WTF?!
As 93.4 The Point put it, how is this “horrifying” challenge going viral?
A perfect example that someone has to be puppet-mastering some of these challenges. Life hacker influencers. Evil ones.
And then calling on kids to make bomb threats at schools, and even to set bombs off, like what happened in a Chicago neighborhood…well, now you’re venturing into terrorism territory.
But, hey. If foreign sources can rope domestic targets into doing their dirty work for them, why not?
Well, obviously I’m being cheeky. This is wrong on so many levels. And yet, kids, and sometimes even adults, fall for it.
More proof that “common sense” is an oxymoron because it’s clearly not common at all. Otherwise, people would question these challenges more and do them less.
And isn’t anyone monitoring them? I mean, yeah. Holding social media companies is an ongoing problem but this takes things to a potentially whole new destructive level. It seems like challenges should need to undergo review and be approved first.
That’s a suggestion that’s bound to get people’s panties in a bunch. But clearly since people have trouble distinguishing right and wrong for themselves, help is needed. And if a little thoughtful scrutiny prevents loss of property and lives?
Well, it’s only a matter of time before one of these challenges has dire circumstances. I mean, they already have. People have lost loved ones. But the recipe for a mass disaster is there. And it’s clearly not going to take much for the right strings to be pulled to trigger it.
Are you on TikTok? Have you participated in any challenges?