Ololade Olugbamiye
THE use of social media is nearly universal in our world today. If anything, the amount of time spent on social sites is astounding. Actually, it’s a wonder how we manage it all. We depend on our smartphones for work, school, and our personal and social lives. When was the last time you left home without your phone and kept going to your destination? The internet has become a significant part of our daily lives. Sadly, there is an ugly side to all that technology offers. Lately, social media challenges have become a lucrative marketing tool for the publics, most especially the entertainers, via TikTok ,as it rose to prominence during the pandemic-induced lockdown. While many of these online challenges serve as harmless means of entertainment and staying connected with each other, others promote negative behaviour and can be considered as outrightly dangerous or extreme.
Amongst the extreme challenges is the Penny Drop Challenge which involves people plugging a charger into an outlet but leaving part of the metal prongs exposed. They then drop a penny and hope to see a spark. Except that instead of sparks, you cause a full-blown fire. Stop the madness. Another challenge which resulted in a lot of orthopedic injuries was the MilkCrate Challenge. A doctor warned that anyone who tried to attempt the challenge could risk broken wrists, shoulder dislocations, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and Meniscus tears, as well as life-threatening conditions like spinal cord injuries. It was later officially banned from social media, as it posed serious medical risks to its participants. The Black-Out TikTok trend is holding your breath until you pass out. This action is sometimes to the point of brain damage or death. Then, there is the Benadryl Challenge which revolves around teenagers challenging each other to take large doses of Benadryl, an antiallergic drug, to trigger hallucinations. Although pills usually only make you sleepy, when taken in large enough doses, they can be fatal. This tragic ordeal is extremely dangerous and has resulted in the death of a teenager. The US Food and Drug Administration warns that too much medication can lead to serious heart problems, seizures, coma or even death.
Next is the Silhouette Challenge! This really got a lot of people talking given its manifest absurdity. When performing this challenge, the cameraman (usually the woman) stands in the doorway, strikes a sexy pose, or dances to the rhythm of music. The backlit red light makes the girl appear like a mysterious shadow that both seduces and cleverly shows off body lines. However, the Silhouette Challenge posed a serious problem when people took advantage of this to edit TikTok videos that exposed the female body. Some edited clips were posted online without the consent of the owner. It is really crazy that a lot of people who would usually condemn nudity, participated in such a challenge! This proves that there are very few people to look up to. What example is being laid out for the younger generation? To an extent, this all feels like people are under demonic control. There are trends that we tend to see on the internet, and it’s normal to have the pull to take part in these trends. But! Do people even consider what could or would possibly go wrong?
Why not participate in a regular harmless dance challenges, where you just have to showcase your dance skills? Several challenges such as the Don’t Rush, Bloody Samaritan Shedi Bala, Infinity, among others, have become viral sensations on social media propelling the songs soundtracking those challenges to massive relevance. An illustrative example is the viral Alcohol Challenge, a Afro-pop song by Empawa record’s frontliner, Joeboy, which has become the latest soundtrack for extremism disguised as a social media challenge. Originally,the challenge featured individuals drinking food-based or alcoholic drinks. However, some Nigerians have gone as far as consuming substances like antiseptic liquids, uncooked rice, palm oil and so many unmentionables. Shortly after, the video of a lady foaming in the mouth after gurgling an antiseptic liquid for the challenge surfaced, and the artiste warned that even though he had initially appreciated the love his fans showed his song, they were to refrain from consuming harmful substances.
Those who participate in social media challenges that harm themselves or others are responsible for their own actions, just like the social media platforms which are also responsible for their continued promotion of these challenges. The platforms’ algorithms push harmful content onto users, particularly teenagers, with no regard for the serious consequences of these challenges. By prioritizing these videos in users’ feeds, platforms are encouraging dangerous content. It is the content that is more likely to get users to interact with the platform, through liking, sharing or participating in the trend. Heavy social media use has been found to lead to an increased risk for mental health issues, and the fear of missing out on what others are doing is a potential driving factor in people’s participation in social media trends.
The far-reaching consequences of these challenges are emblematic of a larger problem. Social media companies push dangerous content onto users, especially vulnerable teenagers, preying on their fear of missing out on the latest popular trend. The dangers of social media challenges extend to the core of social media algorithms, which perpetuate dangerous trends for clicks.
- Olugbamiye is a student of Mass Communication at Anchor University Lagos.
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