1 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:25,239 Over a billion of us use TikTok. 2 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:30,280 In just a few years it has changed the world. 3 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:32,400 Does that change us now? 4 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:36,960 If I were a police officer, I would be furious with TikTok. 5 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,520 TikTok seems to be driving some users get into a frenzy. 6 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:44,920 You have blood on your hands! - About the witch hunts of amateur detectives... 7 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,560 The tiktokers are played private detectives. 8 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:53,159 It has interfered with the investigation. -...for cases of copycat violence. 9 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:56,040 They stole the bus and burned it. 10 00:00:56,120 --> 00:01:01,200 There is excitement on the platform posting and sharing. 11 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:03,000 Like a spreading forest fire. 12 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:05,959 The main fire can be extinguished, but small fires - 13 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:07,520 are still there. 14 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:11,520 I am the BBC's disinformation and social media correspondent. 15 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:14,280 Like many, TikTok is my obsession. 16 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:18,640 Maybe the TikTok algorithm knows me better than I know myself. 17 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:23,720 I want to know if cause that of antisocial behavior. 18 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:28,880 TikTok sends encouragement and urges to continue. 19 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:34,440 TikTok encourages content creators clearly by paying them. 20 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,800 If so, does the company know what's going on 21 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,840 Or has the machine messed up? 22 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:50,760 Am I watching this? Sorry. Fucked up. 23 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:52,600 No problem. Another take. 24 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,640 I'm Taylor Cohen. I was working On TikTok in New York - 25 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:02,960 between 2020 and 2022 as a global creative strategist. 26 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:05,520 I adopted the platform very early. 27 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:10,440 I couldn't put it down for days, months or years. 28 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:14,440 I saw my friends join it, and I didn't see it disappear. 29 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:16,560 I had to be a part of it. 30 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:22,480 Do you have blue? North Face's TikTok hat? 31 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:24,800 I have. 32 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,840 TikTok is different from nothing before it. 33 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:33,600 If someone doesn't understand, how the TikTok algorithm works, - 34 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:39,760 I would ask him, "Do you want to see what are you really interested in?" 35 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,680 TikTok is a content graph. 36 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,560 The algorithm provides content about topics you like. 37 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:49,680 If you really like dogs - 38 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:54,080 and starts seeing one in his feed or two TikTok videos about dogs - 39 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:56,440 but likes always from the dog post, - 40 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:00,080 starting to see a lot more when feeding dog content. 41 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,680 In Instagram, the biggest difference is a social graph. 42 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:08,720 Only others can see the content influenced by people. 43 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:13,440 Likes from other friends posts, number of followers - 44 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:15,720 and the amount of participation. 45 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:19,680 When I think of TikTok, it gives anyone - 46 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:23,880 appear at the beginning of the feed or for the first sweeps. 47 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:26,639 It is so essential served to yourself and so, - 48 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:30,520 that it feels like living in the same in experience with others. 49 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,080 That's what you think: "Wow, I feel the same way." 50 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:35,080 I can't say at least myself - 51 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:38,520 that I have experienced it with anything else on a social platform. 52 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:45,240 I'm Jeff Allen from the Integrity Institute founder and research director. 53 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:48,080 Videos uploaded to TikTok are public. 54 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:50,440 Anyone can see them. 55 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:55,800 It's more about discovery and seeing new content. 56 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:59,400 It means that the algorithm manage better - 57 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:02,640 and affect more to things seen by users. 58 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:05,320 Don't know what you see when logging in. 59 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,600 IDAHO, UNITED STATES OCTOBER 2022 60 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:16,200 Four students were stabbed to death outside the campus. 61 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:18,160 Two roommates were sleeping. 62 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:22,000 Exposed facts about the crime, which was made on November 13 - 63 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:25,000 in small Moscow in a college town in Idaho. 64 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:29,200 In November 2022, four student from the University of Idaho - 65 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:33,120 were murdered in their bedrooms when the two surviving occupants were sleeping. 66 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:35,160 Unfounded speculation - 67 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,120 the perpetrators of the murders were captured According to TikTok. 68 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:41,360 Like others on TikTok, i have an obsession with murder too. 69 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:43,440 I hadn't heard of Idaho Moscow, - 70 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:47,440 but murders flooded my feed before media coverage. 71 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:51,000 Fuck TikTok detectives in this application. 72 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:54,360 In a few days I saw almost nothing else. 73 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,800 I noticed that TikTok users was obsessed with the story. 74 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:00,920 I found videos on TikTok With the Idaho4 subject tag. 75 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:06,640 Two billion views. on YouTube only 80,000 in the same time. 76 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,640 The story seemed to arouse more attention on TikTok - 77 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:12,960 like on any other social media sites. 78 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:17,000 I dug things up and went to Maddie, to the victim's Instagram account. 79 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:19,480 She has a boyfriend named Jake. 80 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:23,360 Online mystery solvers there are always detectives. 81 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:28,279 I noticed how many people got involved to baseless speculations. 82 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:31,480 They hadn't posted of real crimes in the past. 83 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:35,279 They got huge viewers and shared theories about the murder, - 84 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,400 about which they had limited knowledge. 85 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:39,080 ...you need a code to open. 86 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,600 He closed the doors to the Bedrooms and locked them in. 87 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:45,880 The more extreme views, the more interest. 88 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:47,440 Kaylee and her ex. 89 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:50,120 everybody says that Kaylee was the target. 90 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,360 I found myself looking video after video. 91 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:55,880 I was hooked to people's accusations that, - 92 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:58,400 who they considered a murder suspect. 93 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:02,560 I'm starting to believe more and more, that Jack was involved. 94 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:07,720 stop thinking that you are in the "Hard Law" episode. 95 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:10,920 Some tiktokers, too Those who lived in Moscow, Idaho, - 96 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:13,600 began to criticize the events. 97 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:15,839 People died. Stop it. 98 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:19,279 One of the main theories joined Jack Showalter. 99 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:21,080 From Tiktok to "Hoodie Guy". 100 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:24,080 Accusation wrong on grounds of participation. 101 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:27,440 If I were to pick someone who is identified so far, - 102 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:31,960 the suspect is wearing a gray hoodie equipped man from the food truck. 103 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:35,920 Tiktok people considered him a suspect and analyze his life. 104 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:39,360 Rumor has it that his his parents took him - 105 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:42,520 to South Africa, so that his DNA is not obtained. 106 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:47,000 We do not believe the following persons related to the crime: 107 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:50,520 a man with a white hoodie. 108 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:52,720 MODERATOR JASMINE MARCH-OCTOBER 2022 109 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:56,960 I'm Jasmine. I worked on TikTok as a moderator in 2022. 110 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:00,160 It can be said that TikTok is unique. 111 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:05,440 That's what makes it special hard to follow trends. 112 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:08,040 It seems that others are already doing it. 113 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:11,640 "What does it matter, if I follow the trend too?" 114 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:13,920 It feeds the algorithm - 115 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,160 and makes the topic more popular, when you post about it yourself. 116 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:19,120 I noticed as a moderator, - 117 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:21,720 that people moved its contents completely - 118 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,520 and tried to grab for everything trendy. 119 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:30,520 We are now driving to Moscow, Idaho. We just flew in from Florida... 120 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:32,600 Most joined from their homes. 121 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,920 A tiktok named Olivia took things further. 122 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:37,920 He decided to visit the venue. 123 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,960 Four students in the house was brutally stabbed to death. 124 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:45,600 One of the posts got more than 20 million views. 125 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:50,720 A reddish substance that is supposed to be blood, coming from Xana's room. 126 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:52,680 The videos captivated many. 127 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:56,560 Others asked to stop, but he kept posting. 128 00:07:56,640 --> 00:08:03,040 It's insanely disrespectful make a fake document - 129 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:06,600 For a 15 second TikTok video of an active crime. 130 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:09,360 In bed in the surveillance camera image - 131 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:12,040 the girls talk to Kaylee's ex. 132 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:16,480 I wanted to understand what got him to speculate about the matter. 133 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:23,480 He agreed to meet me in his home state of Florida. 134 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:28,240 Something about it drew me to it. 135 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:32,679 I felt the need to go to find answers - 136 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:36,320 and see if I can help somehow. 137 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:38,400 Here is home, - 138 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:41,520 where four of the University of Idaho a student was murdered. 139 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,000 I was there for a week. 140 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:47,280 I talked to people, for neighbors and students - 141 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:51,679 and I tried to make sense of it, who could have done it. 142 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:55,440 How far is Idaho from Moscow is here from Florida? 143 00:08:55,520 --> 00:09:01,760 Idaho to Moscow is a 6-7 hour flight. 144 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:03,440 It's a long way. 145 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:07,800 It was, but the content I made, - 146 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:12,120 where I am at the venue, do better - 147 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:16,559 as if I were sitting at home talking about the story. 148 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:21,640 I show them what is happening at that moment. 149 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:26,640 How have you reacted when you are appeared to investigate these things? 150 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:32,400 Usually the reaction is positive, but not always. 151 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:38,160 An example of a hostile situation was Summer Wells' thing. 152 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:41,600 Something bad happened here, and mom doesn't talk about it. 153 00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:45,160 Five-year-old Summer Wells disappeared in June 2021. 154 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:49,280 Four hectares of forest. The toys are still all over the backyard. 155 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:52,840 Olivia researched the story on TikTok. 156 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:55,200 About Summer's parents he was kidnapped. 157 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:59,040 Then they said his walking out the back door alone. 158 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:03,080 The neighbor says he heard around the time of the disappearance of the loud cry. 159 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:05,000 The parents were not named as suspects. 160 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:08,240 The evidence did not point to their participation. 161 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:12,480 Still, there were rumors on social media that they are somehow responsible. 162 00:10:12,559 --> 00:10:14,760 Another rumor was, that Summer's sibling - 163 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,679 saw his father holding Summer's lifeless body - 164 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:19,240 while running out of the house. 165 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:21,480 There is a cemetery opposite the home. 166 00:10:21,559 --> 00:10:25,000 We searched for Summer for days without finding anything. 167 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:26,880 Olivia was one of the tiktokers, - 168 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:30,040 which appeared in the parents in front of the house in Tennessee. 169 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:36,880 The parents didn't want to anyone to help in the search. 170 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:40,360 You said you can't go to church today! 171 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:46,840 Parents shot my mother, me and friends with a light gun. 172 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:50,160 Was it scary? -It was a little. 173 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:52,280 I go into a certain state of mind, - 174 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:56,760 where I'm in my own world, and I don't even realize it. 175 00:10:56,840 --> 00:11:00,760 Does it ever feel like a movie? From a coping mechanism? 176 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:04,000 You create distance between you and the thing. 177 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:07,840 Many blame me - 178 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:13,960 or they say I do these the stories are boringly sensational. 179 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:17,440 I don't see it that way. I am a very empathetic person. 180 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:23,120 I edited so that people see it as a Netflix thing. 181 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:26,320 That's why I do things sensational. 182 00:11:27,559 --> 00:11:30,000 Two years later Summer is still missing. 183 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:33,120 The police have kept the case open. 184 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:38,000 Here is part six. Löysimme two men's ankle socks. 185 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:43,280 They were about a meter away from where his remains were found. 186 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:47,600 Olivia didn't seem to understand harmfulness of their behavior - 187 00:11:47,679 --> 00:11:51,240 for people who have experienced tragedies. 188 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:53,600 Those who don't watch such content, - 189 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:57,600 may consider unusual, that someone goes to a place, - 190 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:01,320 where has happened disappearances or murders. 191 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:05,360 It is stored and the information is searched. Is that unusual? 192 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:10,240 It may be unusual for people, who are not on TikTok. 193 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:15,320 It's a new thing though, and it becomes more normal. 194 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:18,480 This is the beginning. Like the wild west. 195 00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:23,160 I'm afraid I will accidentally wrong information. 196 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:26,600 I don't do my best and talk about someone, - 197 00:12:26,679 --> 00:12:29,120 unless I really believe that he is involved. 198 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:33,440 It's a new kind of journalism. Journalism has changed. 199 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:36,640 It's not the same as before. Now you don't need a degree. 200 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:40,200 You don't need a degree for that. All you need is a phone. 201 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:43,720 Sometimes I can post controversial issues. 202 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:48,080 I can post information, of which some news companies - 203 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:52,040 need confirmation before posting. 204 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:54,840 I work alone so I can post it. 205 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:58,200 I can do it. I have the power to do it. 206 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:03,440 We're done searches in the north... 207 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:05,040 Olivia is a journalist. 208 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:07,760 What he does does not apply to policies, - 209 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:09,679 who control traditional media. 210 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:13,400 It is not my duty to present false or unfounded theories. 211 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:18,840 Less than a kilometer away. End. 212 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:22,679 Now TikTok is regulating itself. 213 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:26,040 It removes content, that violates community guidelines. 214 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:28,880 Including misinformation and hate. 215 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,840 as enacted in Great Britain law on internet security - 216 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:37,480 at the end of 2023. It forces social media sites - 217 00:13:37,559 --> 00:13:40,360 to maintain their commitments to protect users. 218 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:44,120 Otherwise, they can get big fines. 219 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:48,720 Speculation of the Idaho murders felt like an open argument. 220 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:56,960 TikTok encourages participation other applications more. 221 00:13:57,040 --> 00:14:03,600 Can just sit on the couch, make a video and reach thousands of people. 222 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:08,240 One TikTok video can get millions of views. 223 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:11,440 If I post of the same video on Instagram, - 224 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:13,240 it gets 200 views. 225 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:17,800 It's easier on TikTok go viral. 226 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:22,000 Then there is no obstacle to get huge number of followers. 227 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:26,480 Maybe another video put on TikTok is a good video for everyone. 228 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:28,520 Soon there will be 20 million viewers. 229 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:31,720 For harmful things attention is paid. 230 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:35,640 Algorithmically ranked systems push bad content to the top. 231 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:38,720 If you see a video where someone does something dangerous, - 232 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,760 he gets a lot of views. "Cool! I'll do it myself." 233 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:46,320 Or someone does something disturbing and harmful to their community. 234 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:49,000 "Maybe I'm disturbing my community too." 235 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:51,760 “Maybe I can that way lots of views." 236 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:54,080 How does TikTok feel about this? 237 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:58,920 Does it encourage participation, even if it causes damage? 238 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,480 I'm Lara, and I was from TikTok content moderator - 239 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:06,400 in the Australian market from 2020 to 2022. 240 00:15:06,480 --> 00:15:10,200 I saw a lot really dangerous trends, - 241 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:14,520 but people enjoy being involved. 242 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:17,280 TikTok has made an impact to human behavior. 243 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:20,760 To how people behave and treat others. 244 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:24,320 TikTok provides an opportunity to see something happen. 245 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:27,840 Soon I feel like I have to leave there in an hour. 246 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:30,760 “I can describe myself and be relevant.” 247 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:33,400 Let's forget that limit is fine with that, - 248 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,040 which is socially acceptable and what not - 249 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:38,240 or legal and what not. 250 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:41,920 Then others look and think, that person is right 251 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:43,480 That's why they imitate. 252 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:47,440 If you met that person, would not comment in the same way. 253 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:49,520 It feels like talking only to friends, - 254 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:53,000 and see hundreds of others, who have done the same. 255 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:55,960 It becomes social more acceptable. 256 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:59,560 If you see someone attacking attack another, the act is wrong. 257 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:02,160 It will always be removed from TikTok. 258 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:07,080 If someone offends them their privacy or harass them, - 259 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:11,360 the area is gray for how people accept it. 260 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:15,920 In December 2022 the man was arrested and charged - 261 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,520 for the murder of four Idaho students. 262 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:21,080 He is awaiting trial. 263 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:25,560 Olivia and other tiktokers got into some kind of frenzy. 264 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:28,000 When more was presented extreme accusations, - 265 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:31,160 they were encouraged to intervene ignoring the consequences - 266 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:33,240 and the people involved. 267 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:36,040 Why on TikTok is this kind of fervor? 268 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:38,280 When you put a video on TikTok, - 269 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,400 just friends and instead of followers - 270 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:43,680 it appears to other users' inputs. 271 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:46,480 TikTok believes theirs to be interested in it. 272 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:48,520 Depending on how you approach the video - 273 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:51,320 the algorithm can decide, that people like it, - 274 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:53,560 and push it to millions at speed, - 275 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:57,040 which doesn't seem possible on other social platforms. 276 00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:59,480 After seeing the original video success - 277 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:03,000 other users might decide to create their own versions, - 278 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:05,359 which are sent to more people. 279 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:09,720 The cycle starts over. A TikTok craze is born. 280 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:13,960 Users take it to extremes to get noticed, - 281 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:18,880 because likes and views get them to think that it doesn't hurt. 282 00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:26,240 Freaks are different on TikTok, because it emphasizes participation. 283 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:29,280 From the beginning to that came as a dance app, - 284 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:32,920 participation has been an important part of its DNA. 285 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:37,200 TikTok inspires participation more than any other platform. 286 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:41,080 I really believe that it is an inclusive platform. 287 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:46,680 The best thing about TikTok is, that people try to… 288 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:50,200 They just don't recreate it but make it their own. 289 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:54,480 begin to see how original content - 290 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:57,359 went viral and led to the TikTok frenzy. 291 00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:00,560 Then you see the previous one the viral video. 292 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:05,160 It's nowhere near the first one. It's great to see creativity, - 293 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:07,720 which the community brings to the TikTok frenzy. 294 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:12,680 I'm Chris Stokel-Walker, editor and author of "TikTok Boom". 295 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:16,600 On social media has been a passive consumer. 296 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:21,960 Let's watch videos that swipe over in the app. 297 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:26,040 However, on TikTok, it is encouraged to actively participate. 298 00:18:26,119 --> 00:18:31,160 It enables the that they ensure - 299 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:37,680 about the coming and going person actively investing in the future. 300 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:43,240 What happened on TikTok during the police investigation, - 301 00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:45,160 felt different. 302 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:48,800 I wonder if it was just a US phenomenon. 303 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:53,520 Then it happened again. 304 00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:57,920 What has happened to Nikki Bulley? 305 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,880 He disappeared from a Lancashire river accident last Friday morning. 306 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:05,280 Mother of two young girls, who had just come to school - 307 00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:08,119 and was taking his dog for a walk. 308 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:11,080 Nicky's cell phone found on this bench. 309 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:14,560 It was still connected to a work call. 310 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:17,760 The spaniel was found a little later wondering from nearby. 311 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:21,840 According to the locals, it was dry and had not been in the river. 312 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:26,920 The belt was supposed to be there. Likewise the phone. It was staged. 313 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:30,720 Like Idaho, his disappearance a frenzy started around. 314 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:35,080 I saw it on my TikTok feed before it hit the news. 315 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:38,000 According to TikTok it uses additional resources - 316 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:43,160 to reduce conspiracy theories spread related to events. 317 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:45,880 Within days the witch hunts began. 318 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:49,000 Nicola's friends and family was accused of complicity. 319 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:51,960 I get bad vibes from him. What about you? 320 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:55,040 One TikTok account collected millions of views. 321 00:19:55,119 --> 00:19:58,840 It speculates about Nicola's friend Emma and partner Paul. 322 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:03,080 I believe Emma performed Nicola on the morning of her disappearance. 323 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:07,280 Does this support my theory? Same socks or same person? 324 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:10,000 Paul's reflection is clearly visible. 325 00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:12,240 Also note, how is he in the dark, - 326 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:15,240 when girls and Nicky is shot with flash. 327 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:18,520 Who are they and why? they were allowed to be there? 328 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:21,880 Why are you hiding? -Do they know something we don't? 329 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:26,480 The person behind the TikTok account agreed to meet me. 330 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:29,920 Hello! Nice to meet you. -Hey, same. 331 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:32,240 Heather wasn't used TikTok before. 332 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:34,720 The story caught my attention his attention in the application. 333 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:38,600 TikTok inspired him to participate. 334 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:42,640 I went to TikTok to have a look a real person's point of view - 335 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:47,880 To Nicola Bulley's story. First releases were only from police searches. 336 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:50,320 Descriptions of her clothes. 337 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:53,080 Let's follow the footsteps. There are dark sides. 338 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:55,840 Conspiracy theorists figured out his life - 339 00:20:55,920 --> 00:21:01,960 and people related to his life. It gathered natural curiosity. 340 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:05,560 When there are constantly such surrounded by videos, - 341 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:10,320 can it be hard to say is that true or not? 342 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:15,000 It's easy to fall into the conspiracy hole. 343 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:18,600 Even a small thing can be suspicious, when you watch it over and over again - 344 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:22,680 and almost wants to find inconsistencies in the stories. 345 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:26,960 This is obvious. Emma played Nicola. 346 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:30,200 This was meant to be doorbell photo of Nicola. 347 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:33,560 Posted by Heather doorbell video about Nicola - 348 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:36,560 leaving the house the morning of the disappearance. 349 00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:40,240 You could see him in the video Nicola's best friend Emma, 350 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:41,800 who played Nicola. 351 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:47,280 I can't be the only one who sees this. Do they have jewelry in common? 352 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:53,280 How viral did it go? -3.6 million in 72 hours. 353 00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:57,720 The level of explosion was completely unexpected. 354 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:00,320 Whenever you post something and it gets attention, - 355 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:03,840 TikTok broadcasts encouraging emails - 356 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:07,320 the number of views, of the hit and encourages to continue. 357 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:10,560 It encourages you to keep posting. 358 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:15,520 If you publish something and get it a lot of positive things about it, - 359 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:17,800 it can change one's behavior. 360 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:22,560 There might not have been one before empowerment or entitlement, - 361 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,920 and suddenly feels having received the authority - 362 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,359 keep posting same as before. 363 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:34,119 It can change people perspective on reality. 364 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:38,320 With just one video there were about 10,000 comments. 365 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:41,560 There were also offensive ones: 366 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:45,520 “You know you are immoral. You make money off of people's misery." 367 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:47,840 That's not true. 368 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:50,400 Two beautiful girls need a mother at home. 369 00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:53,960 It keeps us going, but the community is united. 370 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:58,320 As interest grows Emma spoke to the media about the disappearance. 371 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:02,960 Tiktok users analyze the behavior and accused him of complicity. 372 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:06,640 Emma White starts rubbing me for many reasons. 373 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:08,280 Why is there so much makeup? 374 00:23:08,359 --> 00:23:12,280 The negative that sticks in my mind is Emma White. I don't trust. 375 00:23:12,359 --> 00:23:15,160 Surveillance camera footage probably from Emma. 376 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:17,560 Emma wasn't the only one. Nicola's partner Paul - 377 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:20,880 also faced false claims target on TikTok. 378 00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:24,440 There is depth behind his eyes. 379 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:28,160 It turns out that he is related to it somehow. 380 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:32,560 The theories were wrong. Emma and Paul were innocent. 381 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:35,240 Lancashire Police said they saw - 382 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:38,600 lots of comments from the so-called experts, - 383 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:41,119 bad speculation and conspiracy theories. 384 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:44,480 They were said damaging the investigation, - 385 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:48,600 Community of St. Michaels and especially Nicola's family. 386 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:50,359 It has to stop for them. 387 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:56,880 Our girls get what they need support from those who love them the most. 388 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:02,760 Unfortunately we have to one day to be explained to them, - 389 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:09,800 that the press and the people blamed of their father's wrong doings - 390 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:15,119 and misquoted and scolded friends and family. 391 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:19,760 This is appalling. They must be held accountable. 392 00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:22,640 This should not happen to another family. 393 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:27,119 Police reports did not prevent from the story posted by users, - 394 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:30,440 although speculation caused serious damage to the family, - 395 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:33,359 who had already experienced the worst. 396 00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:38,320 Do you think that when many others post about something - 397 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:42,240 and share their views, and millions watch it, 398 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:44,800 can it make us numb? 399 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:48,560 When viewing the same content video after video - 400 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:53,359 on the same subject, you can think participating in it as an individual. 401 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:57,080 I had to remind myself that that it's about other people's lives. 402 00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:00,800 It's not just a video, which goes nowhere. 403 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:05,040 It can explode in the face, and then is responsible. 404 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:09,240 The danger of TikTok is, that if someone posts something, - 405 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:12,640 which is true it gets a lot of views, - 406 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:15,880 and it becomes a conspiracy. 407 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:18,640 After talking to me - 408 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:22,160 Heather deleted her post Nicola from Bully. 409 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:25,440 Heather looked remorseful, that got involved in this frenzy. 410 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:30,040 He said that without TikTok he would not have participated like this. 411 00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:33,440 The press was also to blame, what happened around the story. 412 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:36,000 However, on TikTok part of misinformation, - 413 00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:39,680 which traditional media could not seems to have spread like wildfire. 414 00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:42,200 It got out of hand. 415 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:46,000 The Integrity Institute the survey measured - 416 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:49,680 errors of content producers inclusive inclusion - 417 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:51,800 compared to theirs to his other posts. 418 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:55,680 Incorrect information was confirmed 25 times on TikTok - 419 00:25:55,760 --> 00:26:01,720 compared to 2.4 times on Instagram and 3.8 times on Facebook. 420 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:04,920 The least poorly done the platform is Instagram. 421 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:09,480 It refers to how Instagram is designed. 422 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:11,440 It depends on who you follow. 423 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:14,440 Redistribution or there is no tweet. 424 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:18,080 Most Views do not come from algorithm recommendations. 425 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:20,080 As with other social media sites, - 426 00:26:20,160 --> 00:26:23,800 TikTok is wrong data moderators, - 427 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:27,720 who hold false information off the platform. 428 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:30,640 They brought a fact-checking tool. 429 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:35,400 It felt like an answer to TikTok to the criticism received in the media. 430 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:38,160 They wanted something for moderators, - 431 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:40,960 so that these could look events in real time. 432 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:45,440 A fact-checking tool it was complicated to use. 433 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:49,400 Sometimes fact checkers don't knew what to check. 434 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:54,760 For normal users, who do not have this tool, - 435 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:57,000 it has a real impact. 436 00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:01,000 It changes people's minds about things. 437 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:04,560 Like Idaho, the TikTok frenzy - 438 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:08,359 Around the Nicola Bulley thing grew explosively. 439 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:10,640 Within three weeks of the disappearance - 440 00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:13,280 i found videos that had name as subject identifier. 441 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:15,920 270 million views on TikTok - 442 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,280 compared to 3.3 million on YouTube. 443 00:27:19,359 --> 00:27:23,760 However, it was different at the place the number of tiktok users who appeared. 444 00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:26,960 The police did unprecedented transfer - 445 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:29,160 and criticizes tiktok harassment - 446 00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:32,040 and gave to the area of the dispersal order. 447 00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:36,320 The tiktokers are played private detectives. 448 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:39,840 During my 29-year police career I haven't seen anything like it. 449 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:43,680 It has disturbed investigation considerably. 450 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:47,680 Hi, I'm Spencer Sutcliffe Spencer from Sutcliffe Security. 451 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:52,040 A private security company was hired to keep the tiktokers away. 452 00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:56,000 Conspiracy theories abound. They are considered facts. 453 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:58,800 If you don't have to come to the village, stay away 454 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:02,880 Close to the caravan park the bench from which Nicola disappeared, - 455 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:06,480 soon became the focus of TikTok detectives. 456 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:09,520 There is in the caravan area blind spot of surveillance cameras, - 457 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:11,800 which the police are not bothered to research. 458 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:13,560 Map of the caravan park. 459 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:18,400 As you can see it leads to the river, where Nicola was last seen. 460 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:23,320 There has been talk of surveillance cameras in the caravan area. 461 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:24,960 They haven't worked. 462 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:27,680 Suspicious, but it is not so. 463 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:33,480 The owners of the mobile home area are helped us a lot. 464 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:37,440 Hello. How are you? -Hey, nice to see you. 465 00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:40,480 Not funny. Please. - Thank you for the invitation. 466 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:43,720 I meet Oliver, whose family owns the campsite. 467 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:48,280 Tell us a little about this campsite. When did your family come here? 468 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:50,920 My grandparents bought place in the late 90s. 469 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:52,920 Campers spend the night in the fields. 470 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:57,200 My grandmother owns the house. He runs the company. 471 00:28:57,280 --> 00:28:59,880 He also lives there. 472 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:05,520 I noticed how Oliver 78-year-old grandmother Penny - 473 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:10,360 ended up on TikTok at the center of conspiracy theories. 474 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:16,680 My grandmother found the Nicola cure from the dog seat on the river bank. 475 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:20,760 Word got out about it, when national newspapers - 476 00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:26,880 began to write about the story, and then others began to invent - 477 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:29,680 their own theories about events. 478 00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:32,760 People talked about the tragic about the story online - 479 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:35,720 and found out about my grandmother I live only meters away - 480 00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:37,880 From where Nicola disappeared. 481 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:43,760 The theories began, and TikTok videos began to be produced. 482 00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:46,440 The theories just went wild. 483 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:49,160 The situation soon escalated, even in classes. 484 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:53,920 People found out about my grandmother the name. The address was published online. 485 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:58,360 People started showing up in the village and take pictures of the house. 486 00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:01,360 A tiktok user came to the lot - 487 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:04,800 and began to speak to our customers in our company. 488 00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:08,640 Then the same tiktok guy approached my grandmother. 489 00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:13,120 Who are you? Are you tiktokers? 490 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:16,040 We came to see how big is it. 491 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:19,040 The area is private. What do you think you're doing? 492 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:22,240 It was open. We walked in. - Let's go now. 493 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:25,200 Go ahead. -You have nothing to say. 494 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:27,480 Nothing to say about anything. Go ahead. 495 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:30,520 Anything to say about Nicola Bulley? - Nothing at all. 496 00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:33,320 Nothing at all. Go now. -Clear. 497 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:37,200 A man stood in front of her and asked questions. 498 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:40,680 Tried to provoke him into a reaction. 499 00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:47,240 My grandmother is a 78-year-old woman, who lives alone. 500 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:51,400 People came to his door to describe him. 501 00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:55,440 It was scary for the whole family. 502 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:59,680 I hear he feels, - 503 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:02,520 that someone attacks and tries to kill him. 504 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:07,200 They have been intrusive, scary and hostile - 505 00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:12,160 to get clicks and likes and to make money online. 506 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:15,360 The same tiktok guy, Curtis Arnold, - 507 00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:19,400 became notorious of his intrusive videos. 508 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:23,560 The man has been arrested by a police chain because of the video filmed inside - 509 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:27,560 on the day that the body of Nicola Bulley found in a river in Lancashire. 510 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:32,120 They tried to film lifting a dead body from the water. 511 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:34,840 It's nauseating. 512 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:37,880 Even in the opinion of the TikTok community he went too far, - 513 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:40,680 when he shared a video of himself crossing the chain - 514 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:42,640 to depict the lifting of Nicola's body. 515 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,680 A 34-year-old police officer a man from Kiddiminster - 516 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:48,920 was arrested as a suspect of communication crimes - 517 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:51,360 and obstruction of justice. 518 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:57,160 TikTok encourages content creators clearly by paying them. 519 00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:01,640 If there is a lot on TikTok followers and videos get - 520 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:04,480 usually high viewership figures, TikTok pays. 521 00:32:04,560 --> 00:32:09,200 There is a very clear incentive to get as many views as possible. 522 00:32:09,280 --> 00:32:16,400 If you can make a living from this or if you get a reliable audience - 523 00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:21,720 and maybe even fame, logs on in more likely every day. 524 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:25,760 It's a kind of vicious circle, - 525 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:30,960 where content is displayed, encouraged to make content - 526 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:34,520 and get a first taste from fame with content. 527 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:39,160 Therefore, create more and more and always feeds TikTok's algorithm. 528 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:42,640 It's almost natural to come for back modeling - 529 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:46,680 For TikTok's algorithm and do what the algorithm wants. 530 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:49,400 Things you can get Views and impressions. 531 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:52,760 Of course, this has an effect for human behavior - 532 00:32:52,840 --> 00:32:55,480 and to the videos they make. 533 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:59,720 Has it changed about people - 534 00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:02,080 and what they like acceptable? 535 00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:04,880 Such TikTok videos and posts online. 536 00:33:04,960 --> 00:33:08,080 20 years ago this would not have happened. 537 00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:10,840 The village has been turned into a tourist destination. 538 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:15,440 Almost like an amusement park, where people think they can come - 539 00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:20,880 to describe our home as it would be a macabre exhibition. 540 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:25,880 TikTok has a responsibility, and I would like to ask, - 541 00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:30,240 will they take responsibility seriously enough. 542 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:32,320 At least I don't think so. 543 00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:35,840 According to the study Death of Nicola - 544 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:38,920 resulted from a drowning accident. 545 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:41,600 By investigating the cases - 546 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:44,560 it seems that on TikTok something new is happening. 547 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:48,160 Some site seems to recommend such content to users, - 548 00:33:48,240 --> 00:33:50,560 which would not be encountered it before. 549 00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:54,440 They decide to attend in a new way. 550 00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:58,440 It's like a murder mystery game. It's getting out of hand. 551 00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:02,320 Misleading and false claims target innocent people. 552 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:05,000 They are enjoyed by millions. 553 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:10,400 Does TikTok know what's going on? and what do they do about it? 554 00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:14,360 I'm looking for a former insider to get answers. 555 00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:18,360 We call him Lucas to protect identity. 556 00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:21,640 I worked on data strategy and in the analysis. 557 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:25,400 I focused in particular on the company to the income and profit side. 558 00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:28,040 When you were there, did they have the capacity to - 559 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:30,280 to become other than as a dance app? 560 00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:33,880 Could they handle videos from the news - 561 00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:36,320 and about many different things? 562 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:39,960 They don't. It grew so fast, that they couldn't keep up - 563 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:42,800 or predicted the application every direction. 564 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:46,000 As for dangerous content, I didn't hear their - 565 00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:49,080 trying to prevent it from growing up. 566 00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:51,239 Usually they don't want to. 567 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:54,960 They don't want to be on their platform in the path of growing entertainment. 568 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:59,440 They don't want to moderate content. Then they are responsible for it. 569 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:02,719 You said they don't want to to be entertainment - 570 00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:05,920 and on the way to growth. Why don't they? For money? 571 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:07,680 So. It's about the money. 572 00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:12,000 The more users there are on the platform, the more they watch videos - 573 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:15,600 and the more ads sold at a higher price. 574 00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:20,200 Like an engine that makes people time in unproductive ways. 575 00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:21,960 It feels dangerous. 576 00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:24,560 It's hard to get excited about achieving the goal. 577 00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:28,600 It is perhaps the most addictive platform, which we have encountered. 578 00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:30,560 That's a real danger. 579 00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:34,680 Especially the youth of the audience and susceptibility to influence. 580 00:35:35,719 --> 00:35:38,040 There was evidence that TikTok's algorithm - 581 00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:43,800 caused strange frenzied behavior in both the Bulley and Idaho cases. 582 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:45,560 How widespread was the problem? 583 00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:48,400 Was there evidence About the TikTok connection - 584 00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:51,680 to others unusually to behavior spreads? 585 00:35:53,239 --> 00:35:54,920 GREAT BRITAIN FEBRUARY 2023 586 00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:58,320 The TikTok protests continue In British schools, - 587 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:01,920 when students rebel against teachers against the new rules. 588 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:04,840 Some clips got millions of views. 589 00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:10,160 In February 2023, a new frenzy was born. This time in British schools. 590 00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:14,680 There was a protest at Rainford High school uniform inspections. 591 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:16,640 It was posted on TikTok, - 592 00:36:16,719 --> 00:36:21,400 and in three days more than 60 schools students filmed demonstrations. 593 00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:24,920 Included within a week there were more than a hundred schools. 594 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:28,080 Windows were broken, trees were set on fire - 595 00:36:28,160 --> 00:36:30,719 and teachers were fired. 596 00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:33,480 Demonstrations are not new, - 597 00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:36,040 but i noticed that a large number of students - 598 00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:40,120 was behaving unusually extremely. 599 00:36:41,120 --> 00:36:44,680 Some schools had to to call the police. 600 00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:48,040 According to TikTok, in most in the videos the students participated - 601 00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:52,760 for peaceful demonstrations. It all felt familiar to me. 602 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:55,560 TikTok posts spread quickly, - 603 00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:59,600 and users were encouraged to participate. 604 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:05,200 Most disturbing videos were made by young users. 605 00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:09,080 Freaks about what's cool do at school, - 606 00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:10,640 has always existed. 607 00:37:10,719 --> 00:37:13,719 Now TikTok makes it possible, that people do - 608 00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:19,320 one viral story in one school and move it throughout the area. 609 00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:21,520 It's made into a competition, - 610 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:25,040 who beats the other schools and makes it more extreme. 611 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:30,560 TikTok itself is not the solution problems because these frenzies - 612 00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:32,239 are good for business. 613 00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:37,400 During school protests I decided to see what kind of content - 614 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:41,480 the algorithm would provide a 15-year-old for the boy in the Sinulle feed. 615 00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:44,239 I created a secret account. 616 00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:50,520 Here are football videos because we are interested in football. 617 00:37:50,600 --> 00:37:52,239 School uniforms. What is it? 618 00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:54,480 That's great from the school. 619 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:57,360 Not even provided by the school. Looks and feels like crap - 620 00:37:57,440 --> 00:37:59,239 and costs way too much. 621 00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:02,080 Fourth publication Adrian was the influencer. 622 00:38:02,160 --> 00:38:04,200 He Posts self improvement videos - 623 00:38:04,280 --> 00:38:06,560 and encouraged anti-school behavior. 624 00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:09,400 School is pointless and it doesn't help to prepare - 625 00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:10,960 to the future at all. 626 00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:14,480 What are we doing here? We are slaves to the government. 627 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:17,440 We ensure that the institution, which is employees' - 628 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:20,800 and slave development plan, continue to operate. 629 00:38:20,880 --> 00:38:22,360 Over the next few days - 630 00:38:22,440 --> 00:38:25,600 the algorithm moved more and more his content to my feed. 631 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:29,280 Some midwife told me to sit down in this crappy plastic chair. 632 00:38:29,360 --> 00:38:33,800 They have the forehead to tell the young, what to do with your future. 633 00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:37,280 I teach you not to be dependent superiors and teachers. 634 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:40,680 Adrian's account has a link to his company. 635 00:38:40,760 --> 00:38:43,320 Thousands of teachers are worried about me. 636 00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:46,600 They did me a favor. I got free exposure. 637 00:38:46,680 --> 00:38:49,160 Thanks to those of you who continue my defense - 638 00:38:49,239 --> 00:38:51,560 against schools and teachers. 639 00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:54,680 I started watching her comments on their videos. 640 00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:58,080 Many were from teenage boys From Great Britain. 641 00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:00,800 Of them some of them changed their behavior - 642 00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:03,560 after seeing Adrian's videos. 643 00:39:03,640 --> 00:39:07,920 Others objected when they saw it the behavior of their friends. 644 00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:21,840 Adrian agreed to talk to me. 645 00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:25,960 I want to ask him about the content and its potential impact. 646 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:27,840 Every day without realizing it... 647 00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:31,200 None that I have published content or video - 648 00:39:31,280 --> 00:39:36,040 there is no way misinformation or hate speech - 649 00:39:36,120 --> 00:39:40,239 or negative impact on my audience. 650 00:39:40,320 --> 00:39:44,480 I encourage the ridiculous to rebel against the rules in schools, - 651 00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:48,800 where communication is not encouraged. That's too bad. 652 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:52,880 What do you think about the protests? Did they go too far? 653 00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:56,320 Are they still legal within the limits of resistance - 654 00:39:56,400 --> 00:39:57,920 regarding school rules? 655 00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:01,239 These things are rare and extreme ones to say the least. 656 00:40:01,320 --> 00:40:04,600 Let's say I have 1.2 million followers. 657 00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:10,280 800,000 of them are schoolchildren. 658 00:40:10,360 --> 00:40:13,680 How many children were there realistically involved in those actions? 659 00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:16,920 A very small percentage. I can't control it. 660 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:20,560 How do you balance it, that you encourage people - 661 00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:23,280 to express their thoughts without going too far - 662 00:40:23,360 --> 00:40:26,719 and to harass teachers or to bark at them - 663 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:30,680 or you make sure they don't behave violently at school? 664 00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:34,719 How to draw the line, or not is that possible with your content? 665 00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:39,160 If I post a video for 1.5 million people, - 666 00:40:39,239 --> 00:40:42,800 there is no way I can covers 200 - 667 00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:47,120 doing something ridiculous of those 1.5 million people. 668 00:40:47,200 --> 00:40:51,920 Do I tolerate in one anything you listed in my video? 669 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:54,719 Social media and especially TikTok - 670 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:58,600 or my contents are not reasons for these things. 671 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:02,760 A TikTok spokesperson told the BBC: 672 00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:04,800 "Our algorithm connects communities - 673 00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:06,960 setting safety first - 674 00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:11,760 by recommending different content and interrupting repetitive patterns." 675 00:41:11,840 --> 00:41:14,600 “Furthermore, we remove harmful misinformation." 676 00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:18,040 "Most of the videos are not allowed not a single viewing." 677 00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:21,160 "We prevent and reduce the spread of videos, - 678 00:41:21,239 --> 00:41:23,400 containing unconfirmed information." 679 00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:26,000 There was school frenzy interesting that, - 680 00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:28,320 that it was the real world since the beginning. 681 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:30,800 Users could participate immediately. 682 00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:35,719 That was perhaps one of the reasons why it went up so fast and hard. 683 00:41:35,800 --> 00:41:38,760 Later in June I noticed more demonstrations, - 684 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:41,600 which included young people in France. 685 00:41:41,680 --> 00:41:45,640 Demonstrations and unrest broke out in Paris overnight. 686 00:41:45,719 --> 00:41:50,120 Police shot a 17-year-old who did not stop on command. 687 00:41:50,200 --> 00:41:52,239 According to the police statement - 688 00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:55,320 the police officers felt threatened and had to shoot. 689 00:41:55,400 --> 00:42:00,120 On this social media the released video had a different story. 690 00:42:00,200 --> 00:42:03,080 It generated a lot of anger. 691 00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:08,239 French President Emmanuel Macron holds a crisis meeting. 692 00:42:08,320 --> 00:42:10,640 He demands peace. 693 00:42:10,719 --> 00:42:14,200 The French president accused TikTok and Snapchat. 694 00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:18,960 At demonstrations there are many young people involved. 695 00:42:19,040 --> 00:42:20,760 Sometimes very young. 696 00:42:20,840 --> 00:42:24,840 Social network platforms have influenced events - 697 00:42:24,920 --> 00:42:27,480 over the past few days. 698 00:42:27,560 --> 00:42:32,880 On many platforms such as On Snapchat, TikTok and elsewhere - 699 00:42:32,960 --> 00:42:38,960 is violence organization and imitation. 700 00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:41,920 Was it the TikTok frenzy again? 701 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:44,680 Or avoided France president responsibility - 702 00:42:44,760 --> 00:42:48,880 of a shocking incident, which caused unrest? 703 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:53,520 I saw what was spreading on social media content using Nahel's name. 704 00:42:53,600 --> 00:42:58,640 Public videos on Snapchat had been viewed more than 16,7000 times. 705 00:42:58,719 --> 00:43:02,160 It does not include private conversations, which I cannot access. 706 00:43:02,239 --> 00:43:05,120 Even then videos where subject identifier was used, - 707 00:43:05,200 --> 00:43:08,160 received more than 853 million viewing times. 708 00:43:08,239 --> 00:43:11,080 Many TikToks were Snapchat videos, - 709 00:43:11,160 --> 00:43:15,239 which have a wider distribution than only for friends or locals. 710 00:43:16,960 --> 00:43:19,120 The current problem is, - 711 00:43:19,200 --> 00:43:22,800 that bad behavior in one corner of the world - 712 00:43:22,880 --> 00:43:25,239 can quickly spread elsewhere. 713 00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:30,239 When logging into TikTok, in some sense you see - 714 00:43:30,320 --> 00:43:34,680 all bad behavior from different places throughout the country at the same time. 715 00:43:34,760 --> 00:43:38,560 It is natural to imagine that it inspires imitators. 716 00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:41,280 French protests don't surprise me. 717 00:43:41,360 --> 00:43:45,840 TikTok can get more viewers to escalate situations. 718 00:43:45,920 --> 00:43:48,280 I don't think it can validate usage. 719 00:43:48,360 --> 00:43:52,160 Groupthink is especially real On places like TikTok. 720 00:43:52,239 --> 00:43:56,880 TikTok wants to reduce dangerous content, - 721 00:43:56,960 --> 00:43:59,880 but it doesn't want to censor or slow things down, - 722 00:43:59,960 --> 00:44:03,880 which develop into viral. It can be a challenging situation. 723 00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:06,680 On the other hand, TikTok can tell about demonstrations - 724 00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:08,280 in a positive way. 725 00:44:08,360 --> 00:44:12,400 I saw several videos, where violence and destruction were visible - 726 00:44:12,480 --> 00:44:14,680 in the town of Viry-Châtillon. 727 00:44:14,760 --> 00:44:18,040 The protests have spread unusually fast - 728 00:44:18,120 --> 00:44:20,400 and intensely. 729 00:44:22,320 --> 00:44:25,160 Hello. Bonjour. - Hello, Marianna. 730 00:44:25,239 --> 00:44:30,040 What role did TikTok play in this? Jean is the mayor of the town. 731 00:44:30,120 --> 00:44:32,480 It is rare that people - 732 00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:35,200 organize demonstrations in Viry-Châtillon. 733 00:44:35,280 --> 00:44:41,560 It is incredible and dramatic, that the riots happened - 734 00:44:41,640 --> 00:44:45,800 in working-class residential areas and also in the provinces, - 735 00:44:45,880 --> 00:44:48,040 and in cities and in small towns, - 736 00:44:48,120 --> 00:44:51,400 and where everything is fine and people are happy. 737 00:44:51,480 --> 00:44:56,760 Are the participants younger now? like before the protests? 738 00:44:56,840 --> 00:45:00,719 Much younger than before. We could clearly see the difference. 739 00:45:00,800 --> 00:45:04,040 People saw that and we saw it in arrests. 740 00:45:04,120 --> 00:45:06,960 When they stopped 12- or 13-year-old young people, - 741 00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:09,719 there was no such thing before. 742 00:45:12,480 --> 00:45:15,960 Different Neighborhoods in France used TikTok - 743 00:45:16,040 --> 00:45:19,760 to introduce their violence - 744 00:45:19,840 --> 00:45:24,600 and extreme abuse. 745 00:45:26,239 --> 00:45:32,880 They put both of them on the bus over the roads. Right in the middle. 746 00:45:32,960 --> 00:45:34,719 Right. -They took people out. 747 00:45:36,280 --> 00:45:38,760 They set the bus on fire from inside. 748 00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:43,960 It burned for almost three hours. 749 00:45:48,960 --> 00:45:54,760 TikTok gave certain people to see that somewhere we burn a car - 750 00:45:54,840 --> 00:45:59,560 or a truck. In the end it was normal. 751 00:46:04,239 --> 00:46:08,480 The hairdressers were broken inside but not burned. 752 00:46:08,560 --> 00:46:10,760 The same in the case of pharmacies. 753 00:46:12,360 --> 00:46:17,080 Everything has been destroyed and looted. Nothing was left inside. 754 00:46:18,840 --> 00:46:21,600 French EU Commissioner criticize TikTok, - 755 00:46:21,680 --> 00:46:24,840 because it didn't process content enough. 756 00:46:25,840 --> 00:46:32,040 I was behind the scenes at TikTok. i said that they did their best, - 757 00:46:32,120 --> 00:46:35,600 but I knew when I moderated the impossibility of the task. 758 00:46:35,680 --> 00:46:39,480 Someone can download something quite quickly, - 759 00:46:39,560 --> 00:46:42,800 and it's there for all to see. 760 00:46:42,880 --> 00:46:46,280 I keep trying to get catch the invisible beast. 761 00:46:46,360 --> 00:46:47,960 The algorithm is like that. 762 00:46:48,040 --> 00:46:51,840 It's like a spreading forest fire. The main fire can be extinguished, - 763 00:46:51,920 --> 00:46:56,160 but the little fires are still there, and people see them. 764 00:46:56,239 --> 00:46:59,239 It's dangerous. 765 00:47:01,680 --> 00:47:03,400 LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM AUGUST 2023 766 00:47:03,480 --> 00:47:07,040 Only weeks until my trip to Paris then something else happened. 767 00:47:07,120 --> 00:47:09,920 Disorder in central London. Hundreds of teenagers - 768 00:47:10,000 --> 00:47:14,239 came to Oxford Circus to talk about shoplifting. 769 00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:16,120 The police gave the order to disperse. 770 00:47:16,200 --> 00:47:19,280 Sadiq Khan directly accused social media. 771 00:47:20,120 --> 00:47:23,000 When I started using TikTok During the COVID-19 pandemic, - 772 00:47:23,080 --> 00:47:25,120 there were only dances and tricks. 773 00:47:25,200 --> 00:47:30,040 Now all global news events happening on my page in real time. 774 00:47:30,120 --> 00:47:32,920 Also events, which I would not have come across before. 775 00:47:33,000 --> 00:47:37,239 When I heard about the Idaho murders, I didn't know what I would find. 776 00:47:37,320 --> 00:47:40,880 I've talked about TikTok with insiders. 777 00:47:40,960 --> 00:47:43,680 It seems that frenzy is difficult to control. 778 00:47:43,760 --> 00:47:46,360 And there is no incentive for that. 779 00:47:46,440 --> 00:47:48,960 Slower and less engaging - 780 00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:52,600 TikTok doesn't seem to be the goal of the social media company. 781 00:47:52,680 --> 00:47:55,280 The passion seems to have gotten out of hand. 782 00:47:55,360 --> 00:47:58,160 What happens when someone invents how to harness them - 783 00:47:58,239 --> 00:48:01,120 and related behavior for their own purposes? 784 00:48:01,200 --> 00:48:03,360 Seems scary. 785 00:48:03,440 --> 00:48:07,120 Is TikTok good for you? or bad for the world? 786 00:48:07,200 --> 00:48:09,520 I guess the net effect is negative. 787 00:48:09,600 --> 00:48:13,120 I don't think the platform that has short, addictive videos - 788 00:48:13,200 --> 00:48:16,719 that take up so much of our time, can be positive. 789 00:48:18,320 --> 00:48:21,360 If you had children, should they be allowed to use TikTok? 790 00:48:21,440 --> 00:48:26,719 I really don't. I wouldn't let my kids use TikTok. 791 00:48:26,800 --> 00:48:29,880 It's impossible work on TikTok - 792 00:48:29,960 --> 00:48:34,239 and send their children to that site. 793 00:48:34,320 --> 00:48:37,320 It is clear that the large CEOs of social media companies - 794 00:48:37,400 --> 00:48:40,480 children are not on social platforms. 795 00:48:40,560 --> 00:48:45,680 In the long term, regulation must be addressed - 796 00:48:45,760 --> 00:48:49,640 and create incentives for responsible planning. 797 00:48:49,719 --> 00:48:52,920 If you want to maximize next week of use, - 798 00:48:53,000 --> 00:48:57,880 shows a lot of wrong information, hate speech and dangerous content. 799 00:48:57,960 --> 00:49:02,239 It makes people watch platform next week. 800 00:49:02,320 --> 00:49:05,920 If you want to maximize the application number of users per year - 801 00:49:06,000 --> 00:49:10,120 or five years from now, you have to think about something completely different. 802 00:49:11,120 --> 00:49:14,000 A TikTok spokesperson told the BBC: 803 00:49:14,080 --> 00:49:16,719 "Prioritizing safety is just not right - 804 00:49:16,800 --> 00:49:18,400 but business understanding." 805 00:49:18,480 --> 00:49:21,040 “We have over 40,000 security professional." 806 00:49:21,120 --> 00:49:23,920 “They are working to protect our community." 807 00:49:24,000 --> 00:49:25,719 "We do more when we learn." 808 00:49:25,800 --> 00:49:28,239 "That's why we continue to cooperate of academics, - 809 00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:31,640 law enforcement, charity with organizations and others - 810 00:49:31,719 --> 00:49:33,760 to develop our processes." 811 00:49:35,239 --> 00:49:39,239 Finnish translation: Timo Korpi Iyuno