On the night of September 16, 2024, the arrest of American rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs took place during his stay at a hotel in Manhattan (AP News, 2024). The following day, his indictment was unsealed for the world to see. With rapid speed, news of his arrest became a trending topic across almost every major social media platform. It seemed that articles and videos describing the content of the indictment were inescapable, and people were quickly made aware that Combs was indicted on a plethora of major charges, including, “sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.” (AP News, 2024).
Despite Combs having been in the spotlight of the media for his legal troubles since November 2023, it wasn’t until his arrest that his situation became more widely discussed, and more social media users began reacting. However, the reactions to his arrest weren’t all as expected. The charges that Combs were indicted on were horrific, and infinitely moreso for the victims that were forced to endure his actions. And yet, many social media users, particularly on TikTok, began participating in making a joke of the situation. In addition, an influx of users began posting videos in attempts to contribute to the ongoing discussions. These videos ranged from self-appointed digital journalists claiming to have new and important updates, to people sharing outrageous conspiracy theories about the case with no evidence to support them. (Ihaza, 2024). It certainly didn’t help that some of these accounts turned out to be “bots” churning out AI-generated content. The reactions to this situation make apparent two dangerous problems on TikTok–and similar platforms–that need to be addressed: a lack of regulation for disinformation, and an inability to acknowledge the seriousness of situations.
Just days after the arrest of Sean Combs, #FreeDiddy was created on TikTok, and quickly made popular. While some creators used the hashtag to bring awareness to the case and denounce the jokes that were being made, many of the videos with the hashtag were people announcing their support for Combs. Several videos were even posted by high schoolers, showing them participating in “Free Diddy walkouts” at their schools. This is a clear example of Poe’s Law, in which, “without a clear indication of the author’s intent, it is difficult or impossible to tell the difference between an expression of sincere extremism and a parody of extremism.” (Marwick and Lewis, 2017, pg. 5). While many of the videos could be passed off as a joke, there is no clear indication whether this is actually the case. This is harmful in various ways, one being the broader implications of this situation. A large number of users posting under the hashtaag are minors. While most appear to be in high school, some are even younger than this. Furthermore, these teenagers are creating videos from accounts that clearly display their full name and appearance. Either they are unaware of the concept of a digital footprint, or they see these jokes as harmless, something that they likely cannot get in trouble for. For me, both options are equally terrifying to consider. Even more terrifying is that regardless of the options you consider, this points to how the purposefully offensive humor that has historically been associated with “trolls” and more obscure media platforms (such as 4chan) has become much more integrated into mainstream media and popular culture (Marwick and Lewis, 2017).
Something else that is likely contributing to the inability of users to consider the seriousness of Combs’ arrest is the prevalence of the “TikTok Tabloid,” a concept introduced by Jenna Drenten (2022). Although she describes this concept as “the many watching the many,” as opposed to “the many watching the few,” (Drenten, 2022) I believe that celebrity gossip is still heavily circulated within the TikTok Tabloid, especially when it comes to significant cases such as this. The TikTok Tabloid is partly characterized by its fast pace, meaning that something can be widely popular on the platform but within a week or so may be completely forgotten. I believe that an indirect consequence of this is that people attribute less importance to situations they learn about through social media platforms. These situations are seen merely as entertainment, not something that people should actually be concerned about, especially if it does not directly affect the user.
Another problem that can be attributed to the TikTok Tabloid is the promotion of disinformation. As mentioned previously, some of the people who claim to be sharing updates about Sean Combs are merely passing off baseless and harmful rumors as facts. Like traditional tabloids, the TikTok Tabloid is also reliant on sensationalism, causing users to be quick to spread rumors despite having little to no concrete evidence. In the case of Combs, these rumors quickly turned into full-fledged conspiracy theories, even beginning to involve other celebrities such as Beyonce and J. Cole (Francois, 2024).
Overall, this case highlights the need for different types action to be taken on social media platforms. Firstly, users should heed more caution when interacting with sources. There should be more effort put into identifying what someone’s source may be, or rather, if they even have a source. It is also necessary to pay attention to which accounts are being interacted with, to ensure that something isn’t a blatant lie perpetuated to garner attention, or to make sure it is not some AI-generated bot account looking to attract engagement by latching onto whatever news is the most popular at the moment. Anyone who does happen to stumble across an account like this should report the account and the video immediately. The issue of users lacking the ability to consider the seriousness of situations is a little harder to propose a concise solution for, especially with an emergence of “don’t care” attitudes perpetuated by users. However, I believe that a good start may just involve increased efforts to present detailed and in-depth information about situations like this, as well attempts to correct any mis/disinformation that one may come across.
References
AP News. (2024, October 15). Sean “Diddy” combs arrest and indictment: A timeline of key events. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/diddy-arreest-abuse-allegations-timeline-94547a7a2d9301310bdb18c383fa934d
Drenten, J. (2022, January 27). West Elm Caleb and the rise of the TikTok tabloid. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/west-elm-caleb-and-the-rise-of-the-tiktok-tabloid-175485
Francois, F. (2024, October 22). The “thank you, Beyonce” theory. The Famuan. https://www.thefamuanonline.com/2024/10/22/the-thank-you-beyonce-theory/
Ihaza, J. (2024, November 3). Kids didn’t know who diddy was -- but they turned him into a meme. Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/diddy-memes-tiktok-roblox-1235150872/
Lewis, R., & Marwick, A. E. (2017, May 15). Media manipulation and disinformation online. Data & Society. https://datasociety.net/library/media-manipulation-and-disinfo-online/
Your idea that the #FreeDiddy movement exemplifies the need to monitor where users are retrieving their information connects to the concept of intertextuality that we have seen referenced across many texts. Specifically, in Chapter 3 of Limor Shifman's book Memes in Digital Culture, intertextuality is discussed in the context of memes, where meaning becomes more about the culture and community created from a meme rather than the original image itself. Shifman continues with the concept of hypermetric logic and how memes become increasingly recognizable outside of their original contexts. It is interesting to consider the source of users' information when we analyze memes because of their expansive reach. Memetic culture is so widespread that, as Shifman says, memes' initial intent is typically lost in translation. Additionally, memes are always differently interpreted, which further changes their message. Applying this idea to the #FreeDiddy meme, you mention how many users interacting with its content are minors and how their ignorance of their digital footprint is concerning. You raise an interesting point about whether or not they perceive their own jokes as harmless. I agree with your recommendation for digital literacy because young people don't realize the value memes have in popular culture and how online culture reshapes their meaning. In her writing, Shifman also emphasizes the significance of understanding an image's original context, which you also highlight is especially important with younger audiences because their naivety online can be dangerous.
ReplyDeleteYour op-ed effectively highlights the dangerous implications of TikTok’s role in trivializing serious issues like the arrest of Sean Combs. Your account of how things unfolded on social media provides clarity and concern about how fast information spreads, with no process for checking the facts.
ReplyDeleteBuilding on this, S. Samuel (2021) argues that technology can undermine our moral judgment by fostering distraction and detachment, which makes it harder for individuals to engage thoughtfully with important issues. Platforms like TikTok create environments where “engagement metrics prioritize sensationalism over empathy”, fostering a culture where users trivialize events for entertainment. The "Free Diddy" phenomenon reflects how social media desensitizes users to the gravity of such charges, particularly among younger users who may not grasp the long-term implications of their digital actions.
Andrejevic and Volcic (2020) further illustrate this dynamic by describing "virtual empathy" as a shallow form of engagement that lacks depth or meaningful connection. On TikTok, users often show empathy by liking or sharing posts but without engaging deeply with the content or considering the impact. This kind of superficial interaction further diminishes the ability of people to form authentic responses to complex issues, particularly in this situation, to the victims. Instead, an individual’s engagement is reduced to a transaction. In this context, users fail to grasp the impact of issues like Combs’ arrest but are instead motivated in the moment of “reacting” to the TikTok rage. According to theory, the rapid consumption of content “dilutes opportunities” for users to process and reflect on the serious allegations against Combs.
I appreciate your sentiments about ways to increase efforts to challenge mis/disinformation and hold people accountable as their social and moral obligation.
By Nicholas Guachione