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I’m the TikTok Couch Guy. Here’s What It Was Like Being Investigated on the Internet.

The invasive TikTok sleuthing I experienced was not an isolated instance, but rather the latest manifestation of a large-scale sleuthing culture.

Click to view the original at slate.com

Hasnain says:

Very well written human interest story on what it feels like to get famous without your consent and the associated baggage - and avalanche of internet sleuths.

“Certainly, noncelebrities have long unwillingly become public figures, and digital pile-ons have existed in some form since the dawn of the digital age—just ask Monica Lewinsky. But on TikTok, algorithmic feedback loops and the nature of the For You page make it easier than ever for regular people to be thrust against their wishes into the limelight. And the extent of our collective power is less obvious online, where pile-ons are delivered, as journalist Jon Ronson put it, “like remotely administered drone strikes.” On the receiving end of the barrage, however, as one finds their reputation challenged, body language hyperanalyzed, and privacy invaded, the severity of our collective power is made much too clear.”

Posted on 2021-12-08T17:24:40+0000