WHILE TikTok has become a way of connecting with other people during the pandemic, it sometimes exposes the lengths people will go to garner likes.
A nurse recently found this out the hard way after posting what many call “grief bait.”
What is grief bait on TikTok?
Grief bait is when someone uses a sad story or reacts to a tragic event to draw attention to themselves.
For example, a viral video showed a nurse who looked like she was grieving the loss of a patient.
In the video, she cries, pulls off her mask, and bends over seemingly from the heartache.
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Tiktok users were quick to point out that in this moment of supposed vulnerability, she seemed to have made sure was perfectly in the frame first.
So is her grief real?
We don’t know, but everyone on TikTok and Twitter seems to have an opinion.
Is grief bait different from GriefTok?
Generally, yes. Think of #GriefTok as a section of TikTok where people go to post videos of tributes to their loved ones and where others can comfort them in return.
It’s much more personal than grief bait, which panders to strangers’ sympathy for attention.
While the nurse (user @olivia_tye0225) certainly seems upset, the majority of TiktTok users seem to think that her demonstration of grief seems more like clickbait.
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Users have argued that it was aimed to get users to follow and like her videos because she went through the loss of a patient.
Since being deleted on TikTok, the nurse’s video is still making the rounds on Twitter, and people have a lot to say about it.
What do comments on the nurse’s grief bait video say?
Twitter user @ateenyalien posted the original video, which is set to the song “Unstoppable” by SIA.
She then commented under it, saying “aw man can’t believe my patient died let me go make a tiktok rq.”
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User @Chirpygeezer then replied, saying, “This is a new level of weird. Grief is spontaneous & personal. This theatre is egotism off the scale. Or maybe it’s just an audition.”
However, there were also Twitter users coming to the nurse’s side, with @NYCtoCINCY saying, “Dude, they can do whatever the f**k they need to feel better or more engaged. Why judge them?”
