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9: Cinnamon, Condoms and Copycat Dares: the Rise of Dangerous Social Media Challenges
In recent years, social media challenge videos have become increasingly popular. From the good natured ice bucket and ‘in my feelings’ challenges to the more dangerous neknomination and cinnamon snorting challenges - online trends have grown in many forms. It’s easy to witness the growth of these trends and roll our eyes at it all. But the ever-tempting hunt for likes and shares has prompted social media users to take greater risks online, with the challenges becoming wilder and progressively more dangerous.
For instance, in January, the tide-pod challenge briefly became an online phenomenon. It saw teens consuming laundry detergent on camera in a bid to impress viewers. But the trend sparked concerns from health experts who warned the pods were poisonous and potentially lethal when consumed.
Another popular and consistently recreated stunt has been has been the cinnamon challenge. It involves participants eating one spoonful of ground cinnamon, which can cause considerable irritation, nausea and even asphyxiation. The challenge, which saw a surge in trending videos in 2014, even featured on reality television shows such as Big Brother. Again, health agencies warned of dangers, saying the challenge could cause serious health problems, including inflammation and scarring of the lungs.
Most of these trends, although potentially harmful, have not to date proved fatal. However, things took a more sinister turn with the reported appearance of the trend dubbed the Blue Whale suicide game, an online bullying game that reportedly sees an online administrator torment a vulnerable young person over 50 days, culminating in the suicide of the victim.
So, are these online copycat trends just another example of the wild and unchartered waters of the internet, or should we be treating these as a public health issue? And what approach should mainstream media outlets take in their reporting of these trends?
In our latest podcast, we discuss some of the whackier trends we’ve seen here at Storyful and speak to a number of scientists who are conducting research in this area.
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By StoryfulIn recent years, social media challenge videos have become increasingly popular. From the good natured ice bucket and ‘in my feelings’ challenges to the more dangerous neknomination and cinnamon snorting challenges - online trends have grown in many forms. It’s easy to witness the growth of these trends and roll our eyes at it all. But the ever-tempting hunt for likes and shares has prompted social media users to take greater risks online, with the challenges becoming wilder and progressively more dangerous.
For instance, in January, the tide-pod challenge briefly became an online phenomenon. It saw teens consuming laundry detergent on camera in a bid to impress viewers. But the trend sparked concerns from health experts who warned the pods were poisonous and potentially lethal when consumed.
Another popular and consistently recreated stunt has been has been the cinnamon challenge. It involves participants eating one spoonful of ground cinnamon, which can cause considerable irritation, nausea and even asphyxiation. The challenge, which saw a surge in trending videos in 2014, even featured on reality television shows such as Big Brother. Again, health agencies warned of dangers, saying the challenge could cause serious health problems, including inflammation and scarring of the lungs.
Most of these trends, although potentially harmful, have not to date proved fatal. However, things took a more sinister turn with the reported appearance of the trend dubbed the Blue Whale suicide game, an online bullying game that reportedly sees an online administrator torment a vulnerable young person over 50 days, culminating in the suicide of the victim.
So, are these online copycat trends just another example of the wild and unchartered waters of the internet, or should we be treating these as a public health issue? And what approach should mainstream media outlets take in their reporting of these trends?
In our latest podcast, we discuss some of the whackier trends we’ve seen here at Storyful and speak to a number of scientists who are conducting research in this area.