Part 4/11:
This phenomenon reflects a broader societal shift: a desensitized audience that elevates viral content over human safety. The speaker highlights that today’s internet culture promotes the idea that anything shared online is fair game for attention, often at the expense of basic safety principles. For instance, storm footage from the Vietnam era was once shocking and disturbing; now it’s just “viral material.”
TikTok, Twitter, and other platforms have unwittingly fostered a mindset where danger is commodified. Whether storm-chasing, risking electrocution by entering flooded areas with power lines down, or attempting dangerous stunts, the goal appears to be garnering attention rather than survival. TikTok’s warnings about unsafe content are a recognition of this troubling trend.