The Dark Seconds of Tik Tok
Tik Tok has taken the world by storm. The social media service has gained tons of popularity in a short amount of time. The app has over a billion users. Tik Tok is known for its addictive content, which consists of entertaining dances, witty jokes, and authentic videos from real people. Recently, shocking news has shed light on the true nature of the Tik Tok corporation.
A live stream is when a person posts a live video on the internet. When a person live streams on an app, other people can watch what they are doing. Many popular social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTtube have this feature. On February 21st, 2019, a nineteen-year-old from Brazil livestreamed his suicide on Tik Tok.
A day before the Tik Tok user went live, he promised his followers a “special performance.” Then, he took his life on a live stream. The video had five hundred comments and had been reported fifteen times by watchers, according to the Intercept. Footage of the tragedy remained on the live stream for nearly two hours. Usually, social media platforms have technology to detect and prevent events like this. However, Tik Tok’s technology did not pick this up. The Tik Tok corporation became aware of the tragedy two hours after the event.
The company promptly deleted the teenager’s account. Then—rather than alerting law enforcement—they began to write a statement for the press. The team’s main concern was keeping the suicide from going viral. At 7:56 pm, three hours later, Tik Tok finally alerted the police in the area of the user’s location. Millions of Tik Tok users viewed the disturbing content. Like many other social media platforms, rather than worrying about addressing this issue, Tik Tok focused instead on protecting their image.
This event helps to highlight the importance of digital citizenship. According to Digital Technologies Hub, digital citizenship is defined as "An acceptance and upholding of the norms of appropriate, responsible behaviour with regard to the use of digital technologies. This involves using digital technologies effectively and not misusing them to disadvantage others." People need to be aware of misconduct via social media platforms, and reevaluate their actions when a tragedy like this happens. When you see something wrong on a social network, do not be afraid to report it. Think before you post, and be kind to others on social media always.
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