TikTok is known as one of the platforms with a vast user base, not just in Vietnam but globally. However, due to the sheer number of users combined with the explosion of TikTokers, the platform itself cannot control all the content being posted.
It’s not hard to find content on TikTok that leaves viewers confused and shaking their heads in dismay. All of it is built with the aim of attracting views and quickly becoming famous among a large segment of TikTokers. As platforms like Facebook and YouTube have begun to tighten controls over content, many users have turned to TikTok hoping it will be the shortest path to becoming a “KOL.”
If you’ve been using TikTok for a long enough time, many users will notice that a significant amount of content on this platform is produced with utterly… meaningless themes. Trends such as “placing your phone at the airplane window” and “sitting on the luggage conveyor” have truly become an embarrassing obsession for the public regarding this platform.
Despite being condemned multiple times, “harmful” content still floods this application. Recently, a clip featuring the act of “eating a pound of MSG” caught the attention of TikTok viewers. In this clip, a TikToker was seen consuming a bowl that was purportedly filled with monosodium glutamate. Although the video is only about 5 seconds long and the “eating” process is sped up, many viewers still felt chills witnessing this challenge.
While it is known that MSG or monosodium glutamate is a controversial topic regarding its potential harm to human health, the act of making a clip about eating a pound of MSG also leaves viewers disheartened and raises concerns that younger users (children) might imitate this behavior. Once again, the alarm about “view-hunting content” on TikTok specifically and social media platforms in general rings out: In the pursuit of fame, many are risking it all, even engaging in dangerous actions for themselves and society.