Shocking content on TikTok has been a hot topic lately. After a series of incidents where TikTokers faced bans, and even boycotts… a segment of content creators on the most famous (but also infamous) video platform seems to still be unaware of their responsibilities and the unpredictable harms caused by the low-quality videos they produce for the community.
Recently, viewers were once again “poisoned” by videos that discriminate against regions, belittle, and insult others to attract attention on TikTok.
Even more condemnable, this is not an act of ignorance or lack of clear awareness about sensitive societal issues. On the contrary, the TikToker has been recognized for deliberately causing shock to trend their clip, and has even been accused of using editing tricks to create offensive content.
Gaining fame through negative means will undoubtedly lead to bitter consequences, and the aforementioned cases are no exception.
Public Apologies Still Lead to Boycotts
Specifically, on August 5, TikToker H.M posted a video with seriously discriminatory content, which outraged viewers. However, due to its high engagement, the clip trended and became a topic of discussion across social media. In a negative way, H.M achieved their goal – becoming more popular. However, this method was not wise. On the contrary, it led H.M to a bitter end.
On the afternoon of August 12, this male TikToker was summoned by the Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department of Lam Dong Province Police to clarify his actions of providing false information that insults personal honor and dignity. After that, H.M also made a new clip to apologize and acknowledge their mistakes. However, the audience remained very upset and demanded a boycott of this TikTok channel.
It is known that this is not the first time H.M has posted such content on their personal page. This guy primarily creates videos and clips interviewing strangers about certain issues but edits and stages them according to his subjective desires to create controversy and attract views.
Previously, TikToker H.M was also the one who deliberately edited and staged a female respondent named P.N’s answer regarding “men, boys who ride motorcycles with gears,” which led to her being harshly condemned by the online community. P.N – a “victim” also clarified on her personal page that TikToker H.M kept asking many questions to get responses, and when editing the complete video, he cut and altered the sound inaccurately to gain views and likes.
Facing Backlash from Negative Content
Earlier this year, female TikToker T.L.T suddenly became a famous face across various forums. However, her fame was quite infamous due to a series of clips criticizing men based on their appearance and personality. In her clips, T.L.T often expressed her views on men with a somewhat contemptuous attitude, deliberately putting others down by criticizing boys who are only 1.70m tall or good-looking but poor, which angered many people.
These clips by the female TikToker quickly received mixed reviews and criticism from viewers. Most audiences felt that T.L.T was too young to pursue content about expressing opinions. Moreover, her shocking statements made many uncomfortable due to their negative emotional impact.
Furthermore, many TikTok users vehemently condemned similar videos due to concerns over their impact on young people. Additionally, the fact that young creators use their influence to build content recklessly solely for the purpose of fame is something that should be discouraged.
For T.L.T, after being criticized by the online community, she shared with the media that she felt exhausted, pressured, and refrained from using social media for a while. The female TikToker also mentioned that she only filmed videos with the intention of joking and performing, not reflecting her true thoughts. As of now, T.L.T has changed the content she posts on TikTok and has received more positive reviews from viewers.
“Wherever you go, it’s hard to find supporters”
Being both a person from Central Vietnam and a content creator on TikTok, Julie Pham (Pham Thi Linh) mentioned that she is aware of the videos by TikToker H.M but does not want to pay attention due to their negativity. However, Julie also frankly stated that the male TikToker seems to lack understanding and has a negative perspective that affects others.
Because she also creates content on this platform, Julie admitted that the more controversial the content, the more it trends, gets views, and then… becomes famous. Perhaps this is why many people want their videos to be hot and popular, so they choose this path.
Julie expressed: “However, the consequences for those who create such content are a series of critical comments, condemnation, and boycotts from viewers. No matter how many likes or views they have, it is hard to find anyone supporting them. I think it’s not just about whether they have to pay a high price or not, but the important thing is that they have lowered their own dignity and ego.”
“For me, deliberately putting others down, criticizing wealth or regional discrimination is the most condemnable content among all content types. TikTok is a platform attracting young people, including many school-age and adolescent children. Such content will significantly impact the awareness of young children who are not yet able to distinguish right from wrong,” Julie added.
