Bewritings

Since its development in 2016, TikTok is now available in more than 160 countries with a staggering 1.1 billion users. With these facts alone, the app could be considered the most popular social media platform of this generation- or ever. Although it has only been around for the last seven years, it is hard for many Gen Zs to imagine life without it.  I am sure, for many of us, being exposed to TikTok is practically a daily occurrence. From overhearing someone reference a viral video to watching a TikTok video reposted on Instagram reels, it is almost impossible to ignore the app’s influence.  

But what makes TikTok so addictive? Experts give a few reasons. The ominous algorithm is the main culprit. By analysing users’ preferences, content is tailored specifically to you, which usually means the thought of closing the app does not cross most people’s minds. Being able to endlessly scroll through snappy, tailored content- full of fun trends- can mean your “quick check” of the app lasts hours.  

Although it is not uncommon for new social media platforms to become incredibly popular, Instagram reached 1 million users in the first three months of its existence, TikTok sits on a completely different scale. Anyone who uses the app knows it is completely oversaturated with content, one second you could be watching a toddler rate her meal for the day, and in the next a nuanced slideshow of how humans are intrinsically flawed beings. In short, it is a wild digital space.  

Amongst all the dance challenges, political debates, song remixes, POV videos, and everything in between, the occasional livestream is recommended. Most of the time, these lives are harmless. Popular ideas include novice musicians showing off their talent, free tarot card pulling, or a random girl from an undisclosed part of the UK getting ready for a night out. But as I spend more time on the app, I have come to notice a strange (and unsettling) subgenre of TikTok lives. Here are a few examples: 

“Russell Brand is innocent. Send a gift if you agree!” 

This live was the one that sparked this post idea. For context, this caption was in retaliation to the September 2023 edition of Channel 4’s Dispatches titled “Russell Brand: In Plain Sight.” The investigative documentary showed audiences some pretty damning evidence of how Russell Brand has historically treated women. Half the country was not surprised (at all) and the other half was certain of his innocence.  

Regardless of the obvious moral issue of dismissing the experiences of sexual harassment and assault survivors, my first thought was: why did [user123] decide to go on TikTok live about it? What a weird reaction. No matter what your opinion of Brand is, even if you were completely outraged by the documentary, I could not wrap my head around why someone’s initial reaction would be to blankly stare at a screen on livestream, with that caption plastered on the background. I was not outwardly appalled or anything, it just felt a bit off.  

Then I noticed the request to send gifts, and it clicked. For those of you who do not know, TikTok gifts are essentially tips viewers can send to livestreamers, in the form of stickers or animations, which can be converted into real currency. And [user123] was getting a lot. [User123] was making a profit! This realization unearthed an entire niche of TikTok livestreams that were attempting to make money from shocking social or political developments.  

Russell Brand is exposed for this dangerous treatment of women and in the spirit of playing “devil’s advocate” [user123] decides to go live to stimulate a healthy debate. Except it is not a healthy debate at all, the comments had descended into a woman-hating, rape-culture fest. [User123] sat quietly, saying nothing except the occasional “thank you” to gifters. [User123] did not want a debate at all, [user123] was just calling out to others like him to fuel his (unsupported) opinion. And he was being fuelled by actual money! There was no basis for [user123]’s argument, no evidence to contradict Dispatches findings. There was no argument at all, really, just the simple request “Russell Brand is innocent. Send a gift if you agree!” [User123] did not seem to mind that they had facilitated a comment section reminiscent of an anti-woman’s suffrage article from 1910, as long as they received their sweet sweet gifts.  

After this troubling realisation, which spanned over the course of about 20 seconds, I began to connect the dots of similar lives I had come across before: 

“Straights versus LGBT. Straight= comment LGBT= gift.” 

“Abortion is murder. Prove me wrong… (Gifts are appreciated!)” 

From the overturning of Roe v Wade to the Colorado Springs nightclub shooting, for most shocking political/ social developments, there was a [user123] pining for TikTok gifts. And, as expected, the comments were usually derogatory (and often just plain scary), sometimes with a mod desperately trying to keep the chat PG13.  

Now I am all for social media to be used for the exchanging of different ideas- debate to your heart’s content! But that was what troubled me the most, the lack of conversation. [User123] is happy to exchange a flimsy, vague, and most importantly controversial statement for profit. I think this is a testament to the dangers of social media, as [user123] appears so desensitized to the causes they are just crudely poking at. 

So, if you take anything away from this post, please do not take the bait if you see a livestream focused on a problematic opinion. Even with the best intentions, [user123] will probably not even read your comment, your engagement will be enough.

Engagement=profit!