TikTok is a social media platform that is popular among teenagers and adults where users can make short videos using audio from almost every artist you can imagine.
The app also has a feature called TikTok Live where users can live stream from their phones. Recently, a new AI (artificial intelligence) trend has taken off on TikTok Live.
Essentially, a user goes live and reacts to the “gifts”, or money, people send with immutable, almost cartoonish gestures. Each gift has a unique animation as they are purchased.
Some users began to wonder what kind of people were even sending these gifts; who would waste their money just to watch a random person repeat the same reactions over and over again?
Most people have reached the conclusion that the spectators feeding into this trend have an NPC (non-playable character) fetish.
“NPC streamers give the appearance of being human shells without emotion or personality. This appears to be the core appeal to viewers who engage with these streams, to act as programmers in control,” said Ethan Dean in an article about TikTok’s viral NPC fetish.
Some people have yet to comprehend the odd nature of the trend, as many see it as just weird. However, this isn’t the only trend on TikTok that engages with fetishes.
Another example of fetish content on TikTok is videos known as “food hacks”. Typically in these videos, a woman shows a recipe or food hack that is a little out of the ordinary; the person cooking is doing motions and facial expressions that are very suggestive.
“It is almost always women–use their hands, splash, or squirt stuff suggestively or massage phallic things,” said Emma Beddington in an article about the disgusting food of TikTok.
They are typically very animated, and videos usually receive comments like “Blink twice if someone is holding you hostage.” So, again, the NPC characteristics are being used as a tactic to target a particular audience.
We don’t realize how much of what we see on social media platforms is actually created for reasons other than just pure entertainment. However, it is important to understand what fetish content is and why it is not just disturbing, but a genuine issue.
The primary concern is that children are viewing these videos. Most children under the age of 10 wouldn’t quite understand the true intention behind these videos, so they are more prone to engaging with them.
“When viewed during a time of development, it can have lasting effects into adulthood,” said Katherine Carroll in an article about TikTok exposing children to fetish content.
It is important for parents to be monitoring their children’s TikTok or just not letting them have access to the app altogether. We as a community must work together to protect them.