January 19 was supposed to be the day TikTok closed forever in the United States. The US government decided that the video-hosting platform threatened national security and must be sold away from Chinese company ByteDance. Before its fond farewell, many creators fearing losing their platforms chose to have one last hurrah and air out their TikTok secrets.
However, the app was only down for 16 hours, with Trump pushing the sale back at least 75 days, leading to these confessionals staying up much longer than creators thought.
The most popular format featured a Family Guy clip in which patriarch Peter Griffin shares a hot take while drowning. Influencers from all across genres shared their darkest TikTok secrets over Peter’s voice. Some were clearly not that serious.
People confessed their sketch characters weren’t real and that seemingly spontaneous interviews were scripted. Someone admitted they never actually used specialty ice cubes in their cooking videos.
Even TikTok’s original viral star Charli D’Amelio got in on the action. The creator confessed that in a 2020 viral video, she wasn’t smoking “an anxiety pen.” D’Amelio also admitted she still has no idea what an “anxiety pen” even is.
However, others received much more attention, testing the strength of their parasocial relationships.
When Keeping It Real Goes Sideways
TikTok food reviewer Babydumplingg told her 2.2 million followers that she doesn’t eat all the food in her mukbang videos. The video pulled in 17 million views, earning comments like “You just broke my heart” and “I trusted you.” “She gave up her lore,” TikTok account Spill Sesh said about the revelation. She claimed the video “was just a joke” and that she “eats all the food” upon returning to TikTok.
Then there’s Lexi Hidalgo, a fitness influencer with 2.7 million followers. Hidalgo shared that she never finished the coffees she made or workouts she posted on TikTok when she first started. In a separate video, she clarified that she gave the coffee to her mother while the workouts were done off-camera. Still, some commenters were very upset, describing the follow-up as a “backpedal” and saying they “wish you nothing but the worst.”
In general, online content should never be taken at face value. If you see a heartbreaking story or an influencer attempting a challenge, you should constantly be questioning what you see. The internet is full of liars, and few systems are in place to force the truth.
TikTok itself, since its latest stunt, has been accused of censoring terms like Palestine and fascism, which could make the Trump administration (who they proudly thank) less than happy. I’ve been able to replicate the results on my account.
These social media platforms and their influencers aren’t trying to create the truth but rather a cyber escape that keeps you as hooked to your device as possible. So next time you watch a young woman gorge herself on camera or watch two random breakups, take that second to double-check if what’s happening is real.
