The Tik Tok video that has been deemed “couch boy” has been blowing up the internet. In a twisted turn of events, the internet seems to agree on something for the first time; that is, couch boy is guilty. The video has been under close analysis, being scrutinized from every angle. Every frame has been analyzed for evidence. Celebrities have weighed in on the video, even suggesting that the man is guilty. Guilty or not, the footage definitely felt off.
The first thing to consider is not the girl’s arm around him, the hair tie on his wrist, the passing of the phone or the butt scootch. All of this evidence is not proof that he cheated, just suspicious. What is worse is the attitude in the room. That is the part that makes people feel suspicious. Whether he cheated or not, something felt off. He didn’t seem excited. When the person you love has been gone and suddenly shows up, most people would jump with joy. They would be excited, shocked and thrilled. Perhaps he knew she was coming, maybe the video was staged, and his acting was terrible. If not, then there really is no excuse not to show genuine excitement when the person you claim to be in a loving relationship with shows up. This was not the only part that felt off. The friends who seemingly were in on the surprise seemed to have been laughing at her. The people on the couch, who we also know to be her friends, were laughing. Perhaps everyone was in on it. If not, you would at least expect your friends to also be excited to see you. They should have been jumping even if your boyfriend wasn’t. Less proof of cheating and more proof that this girl, who clearly put a lot of time and energy into creating a pleasant surprise, deserved better appreciation.
The physical evidence people have been claiming all seem to be conjecture. He did make eye contact with her as she came in. His attention was on her as she entered the room. Indicating that he was genuinely happy to see her. A guilty person would find it hard to make eye contact when caught. As for the so-called physical evidence, they could all be explained. It is common for people to hold each other’s phones when showing them something. The arm that was around him, after further analysis, doesn’t seem to be an arm at all but just camera placement. The only evidence that seemed damning was the hair tie. It is damning as he doesn’t seem to have a use for it. More to that point, it is not something one would typically ask a friend to carry or hold as they are easily placed on one’s owns wrist. All this evidence, as stated, doesn’t hold up individually, yet when combined, it makes the case stronger. It is difficult to make excuse after excuse for each and every piece. That being said, there are seemingly reasons for these things, and it is possible that there was an excuse for each one, however unlikely.
This couple has clearly been through a lot. Long-distance is hard enough without the entire internet ripping apart your relationship. The sentiment behind the video was a nice one, and neither person involved has done anything to add fodder into the fire, which makes me believe it was not staged but a genuine video. If the video was meant to give insight into internet drama, they would have been interested more in the proceeding content made. They would have posted their reaction to it. Instead, they simply deny anything and have carried on. The internet is clearly seeing something from this short clip and has taken to input their opinion. With so many people seeing what we all see, it is hard to see how this couple could survive. The video clearly provided some insight into something, and perhaps it is an excellent opportunity for them to see if there are any issues that they may want to work on. Clearly, the actions that were showcased came across as uneasy to most viewers and understandably so. The perceived reaction one would expect from such a surprise was not met in the video. This could be due to the fact that we are trained to expect a particular reaction when a video is posted, and that expectation was not met.
All in all, it is possible that he was cheating. There is some evidence of that effect and the vibes of the video left a sour taste in one’s mouth. Perhaps it is more important to analyze why we expect specific reactions from people when a gesture of kindness is performed rather than to criticize how a person reacts. It did seem off, I will say that, and it is not how I would have reacted. It is possible that something deeper may be going on. However, I don’t know these people; I don’t know how they react to situations.
As much as it is fun to hypothesize about “couch boy” and this Tik Tok, it’s important to remember that they are people and that they may react to receiving a surprise anyway they want. There is no hard evidence that he was cheating, and as such, I would not put money down on any cheating taking place. Perhaps the long distance has just taken a strain on their relationship, and that is what we see in this video- a sense of awkwardness that we did not anticipate.