Dangerous Internet Trends
Viral trends and videos have an uncanny ability to strike the emotions of anyone who dares to click on a video of worthiness. The reason for why this type of content is spread like rapid fire is unknown, and sometimes that is the beauty of it all, but not when these trends could send you to the emergency room, or worse, kill you.
Tide pod challenges to fire challenges, people thrive on thumbs-up and likes in this technology driven era. Society purposefully began finding ways, even though they might be life-threatening, to garner acclaim thru these sites. Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all have one thing in common; instant gratification. The world is at your fingertips and I guess Planking and the Cinamon challenge were too boring for the youth of today.
There’s no stopping law enforcement or even your parents from putting an end to the obsession that comes from unrequited fame.
Just think about it, setting yourself on fire is unnatural and no one would consider it, except when a cell phone is recording, structuring purpose and shock factor for viewers.
Retweets, shares, and likes evoke a sense of acceptance you won’t get outside of the internet. What I fail to understand is why acceptance is more important than dignity.
Having thousands of people, sometimes millions, tune in to watch you, is very flattering. But, we have lost touch with ourselves by being filmed attempting completion of these outrageous trends.
Twelve year old Timiyah Landers suffered severe burns after participating in the ‘fire challenge, where you spray perfume all over your body and then ignite yourself into a human fireball. A classmate of Landers walked away with minor burns from the challenge; so, Lander’s chose to attempt the stunt herself.
Popularity has always been part of social fabric, the internet elevated it to a whole different level. .
I partially blame celebrities for participating in some of these trends because they are the ones that lead the bandwagon of destructiveness.
The ‘In my feelings’ challenge created by mainstream rapper Drake, promoted his hit song by turning it into a challenge. This flooded social media causing several other celebrities to post their versions of the song by dancing outside of a moving car.
Now they probably have security guards and lots of preparation to cultivate this kind of content, but the average citizen does not. It is a classic “Warning: Don’t try this at home” tactic, which everyone regards as someone.
Here are two reasons why dangerous trends are pointless: First, they do not make you rich, in fact it might end up costing you money instead. People will eventually forget about your content but those scars are forever.
If you’re crying, injured, or being escorted to the ER, maybe erratic and dangerous trends aren’t the way to earn internet fame . Learn from your mistakes and be thankful you’re not dead.
