The article, “Can You Trust What You See on TikTok?” (Upfront, Tsu, 2022), talks about the spread of videos containing false information on the popular social media platform, TikTok and how it affects those who view them. Conspiracy theories are constantly going viral on the app. These theories are being viewed and shared millions of times amongst their users. Not only does this form of false information spread rapidly but millions of people end up believing them. Theories and myths about COVID-19, diets, and health conditions lead to misconceptions about certain topics regarding individual health. A video that surfaced around TikTok that claimed that the school shooting in Uvalde Texas was staged drew more than 74,000 viewers. Other posts regarding the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine have also been considered problematic.
I think that TikTok should not be a trusted source. The ongoing spread of false information and conspiracies makes it an unreliable source for legitimate facts. From my experience, I have come across many videos that were very politically biased and factually incorrect. As someone who has spent a decent amount of time on TikTok, this makes me wonder how much of the information I have viewed was false.
Do you think TikTok is a trustworthy source?
Dear Omar, what interested me about your post was how you mentioned that a source on TikTok mentioned that a texas school shooting was staged and it didn’t really happen.
I also believe that tik tok shouldn’t be a trusted source because the youth of this generation belive anything on social media platforms as it looks “trust worthy” and this is a major issue because it can lead to some serious significant problems in the future, Thank you for sharing this post I look forward to seeing what other post you have in the future.
Dear Manuel,
Thank you for your comment. I agree, I was also intrigued when I read that people believe that the mass shooting in Uvalde Texas was staged. I think this is a ridiculous conspiracy theory. However, it illuminates the fact that sources such as TikTok should not be trustworthy. We live in a society full of gullible youth individuals and social media platforms influence their smooth brains to believe anything that they see.
Appreciate the Feedback!