TikTok is by far the most downloaded and used app in the past couple of years. It is used by millions of all age ranges and can be extremely influential. Tiktok has all kinds of content ranging from dancing videos to comedy videos and so much more. While there is so much good and happiness coming from the app, there is also some extreme spreading of misinformation. There are users who spread false information misleadingly and also purposefully. When a person posts a video, there is a potential for millions of people to see it. When one small rumor is posted and is then seen by millions, it becomes fact in peoples minds. For example, during the height of COVID-19, there was a flood of misinformation posted about the virus and the vaccine. "there was also a flood of misinformation about COVID-19 posted by everyday people, including uninformed opinions from doctors and alarmist coverage from news outlets about the virus.", stated by NYU School of Public Health. These videos with false information tend to have either dramatic music behind the video, while font is shown across the screen spreading the false information. When reading shocking information while hearing dramatic music, it gives an impact that makes the information stick in your brain. The persuasion of these videos has a consequential negative effect that many do not realize. Many professionals and researchers are trying to let the public know when these "rumors" are spread that they are not true, but sometimes that makes the situation worse. People who are very influenced by the false information then think that the researchers and professionals are hiding something. It then becomes a unhealthy and toxic cycle. There is not a way to filter out what is posted on TikTok because at the end of the day it is free speech. But the researchers and professionals do their best to get ahead of it before it becomes ugly.
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