As a kid, I was always told about internet safety, and how to discern what information is real and what is fake. But, if TikTok being banned in the United States has shown me anything, it is that there is still a lot of learning left to do. The momentary scare caused a trend that had creators and influencers confessing to their deepest kept secrets, all while using an audio from the show “Family Guy.”
In some cases, it is clear that the content creator is trying to crack a joke, but in others, it’s hard to believe someone would lie about something like that. Each confession, real or fake, has left an unsettling feeling lingering on social media. People are shocked at the truths that some of these influencers admitted to in what was thought to be the closing days of the app.
Creators on TikTok, like babydumplingg who makes videos in which she eats large portions of food on a regular basis, shared that she does not actually eat the things she posts. Allegedly, she spits out portions of the meal in between cuts. This is, surprisingly, one of the lesser lies that an influencer has admitted to. I have seen that a handful of fitness influencers came out saying that they lied about their workouts and that they’ve actually had plastic surgery on their bodies. Fitness influencers, especially those who benefit financially from their content, sell their body as products to viewers who are the consumers. If they are telling the truth, they are not only lying to their audience but also setting unreasonable body expectations and creating negative body image perceptions.
These are not the only types of creators that have lied. I’ve seen videos where people have been consistently lying about relationships, products they use and viral moments that drove them towards success. So, while this may seem like an extremely first-world problem, there seem to be serious repercussions of this from other TikTok users. In the United States, creators are able to make money off their posts depending on the number of followers they have and the amount of views their videos get. This also excludes any sort of sponsorship or brand partnerships that influencers could receive based on their content. So, for many creators to openly express their lies is a stab in the back to the people who consume the videos they post. It all ends up feeling like one big scam.
The ironic part is that TikTok didn’t get shut down and is currently at the same functioning capacity as it was before the ban took place. Meaning that countless influencers exposed themselves for nothing and in turn are doubling down on their past comments. Many were quick to make videos trying to convince everyone that what they said was a joke. It raises the question of who is telling the truth? There are some things that wouldn’t make sense to joke about, especially not as a last goodbye on the platform. It’s as if they’re looking at their following and saying, “You just got pranked!”
It brings up the idea of knowing what and who to trust on the internet. Gen Z has been exposed to a lot of media over our lifetime and has developed a pretty solid perception of dangers on the internet. Yet, somehow, so many people were able to fall into this idea that influencers don’t lie. In my opinion, there has been a large rise in parasocial relationships, and it’s caused us to think that just because we see someone consistently through videos on a screen, they are trustworthy. It’s important to take everything with a grain of salt and see what message every content creator is trying to let out and see if it is for a genuine cause or just to get a paycheck. This is not to say that TikTok needs to become a place of paranoia or distrust, but it’s to be wise about what you interact with. You can have fun on TikTok while still being aware of the intentions of certain influencers.