TikTok is home to a lot of different types of content, from dancing videos to informational videos speaking on health to snail facts. I often find myself flicking through TikToks about history, listening to people’s personal stories and learning disturbing facts.
While it can be easy to blindly believe what you are hearing and seeing in these videos, especially if it sounds believable, it is extremely easy to lie on the internet. For example, James Charles has been saying for years he’s going to stop being creepy, and he has lied every single time.
The most dangerous information that is often spread on TikTok is health-related. Ways to lose weight, get healthier or have clearer skin are rampant on the app, and often the creators are sponsored by whatever expensive product they’re pushing. In other situations, the proposed solution can be potentially dangerous. “DON’T Try These TikTok Health Trends,” by FunkyFrogBait is an entertaining and interesting video on some of these harmful trends.
A good example of a dangerous trend I have seen is using candles to get ear wax out of ears. The practice consists of putting a specific kind of candle in your ear while lit, leading to your earwax allegedly collecting in the middle of the candle. However, it has been found that the “earwax” in the candles is actually just the candle wax. The practice actually puts candle wax in your ear, too, which is, you know, the opposite of what people were going for.
Another example that’s a less dangerous and more expensive scam is “Alive Water” which is supposed to be healthier water than just normal tap water. It costs around $88 per month for the water. The company also sells a $200 steel shelf that you can buy for your water, as if capitalism wasn’t upsetting enough. And that’s for a single person; if you are buying this “alive” high-vibe water for your entire household, you could be spending much more money. Alive water is a cleaner source of water, usually found in fresh springs in separation to your average tap water. However, the company, “Alive Water,” suggests that they have the best of this “fresh water.” So, what is it if it’s expensive then, I hear you asking? Oh, it’s tap water from Oregon.
The fact that all you have to do is say something on the internet and people will believe it is actually scary. So, before trying anything or blindly believing things you see on TikTok, maybe do another web search to make sure you’re getting your information from a reliable source.
I do not believe everyone who spreads misinformation is doing it for any malicious reason. When it comes to health trends, people often do not realize they are actually scamming others because they wholly believe what they are talking about is safe. For the record, misinformation and disinformation are two entirely different things. Misinformation is by definition, “false or inaccurate information, especially that which is deliberately intended to deceive,” while the definition of disinformation is, “false information which is intended to mislead, especially propaganda issued by a government organization to a rival power or the media.”
So, if you see misinformation or disinformation on TikTok, do not harass anyone. It would be better to just say something in the comment section about the misinformation and then move on. Stay safe, and please do not put candles in your ear.
