the swoop

The shock value made these posts go viral, with people liking out of sympathy and asking for context in the comments. The biggest video in the trend was from user @laurenheardd sharing about her cryptic pregnancy, getting 4.3 million likes and over 12,000 comments. Best of luck to her, she deserves a lot more than just a viral Tiktok for going through that. A more heartwarming story came from influencer @livcentola, sharing a video of her slipping out a window captioned “she doesn’t know it yet, but her sneaking out this night was the reason she met her husband” that received 6.3 million likes and just under 9,000 comments. 

Social media has a way of easing people into sharing stories they never otherwise would in such a casual manner. Perhaps it’s the somewhat anonymous nature, though nothing is truly anonymous online. However, the detachment does create a dissociation between the online self and reality. The Proteus effect was introduced by Stanford researchers Nick Yee and Jeremy Bailenson in 2007, suggesting people subconsciously change their behaviour to match the characteristics of their avatar. Though the phenomenon is more associated with video games, it could also apply to social media. People post specific things, often called a brand or aesthetic, but what if they’re actually creating an avatar based off an idealized version of themselves? If that avatar is more energetic, carefree, and confident than them, it may not even feel like oversharing because it's what the avatar would do. 

There also is the social aspect to it. Attention on social media is interesting because there’s no immediate feedback from an audience: no laugh after a joke, no concern looks, no interjections. The lack of pause in the one way conversation removes the chance to question if you’re about to say something you shouldn’t. Once the post is published, the attention starts. Unlike an in-person conversation, online responding is optional, leading to a skewed display of emotion. It simply isn’t worth the effort of commenting “that gave me a decent amount of enjoyment”, you either commit to “I LOVE IT” or “I HATE IT”. Likes are almost an interesting metric, because everyone places a different value on what is worthy of the button press. And they inherently create a positive emotion in the receiver; who wouldn’t want to be liked? Though some people chase after as much attention as they can get, whether that be negative or positive, and are willing to sacrifice their own reputation for it. Overall, people overshare because it’s become normal to. Some do it to find connection with others, some to get reactions, and some just to say something.The emotionally charged nature of social media can impair people’s judgement, and oversharing is often rewarded with more attention and engagement.

Chappell Roan has been everywhere, from headlining festivals, performing at the Grammy Awards, releasing singles for her upcoming album…and constantly being reported on every drama and news publication. 

Chappell will always be controversial to some, being a lesbian pop star who wears drag on stage. But given her proud attitude, and her undaunted use of her voice, pop culture has very strong opinions towards her. As her popularity has skyrocketed, the hate surrounding her has as well. However, most arguments against Chappell don’t seem to line up with her character. She isn’t perfect, but the hate she receives is excessive. 

In case you aren’t as online as me, here’s one sentence for every major Chappell Roan Controversy. (You can skip this without losing context):

Chappell Roan hates her fans (August 2024, Tiktok): She asked people to not disturb her in public and to stop stalking and harassing her.

Chappell Roan hates photographers (September 2024, MTV Music Awards): A photographer rudely yelled to shut up, she gave them back their own words. 

Chappell Roan is a republican? (September 2024, Tiktok) : Chappell Roan stated she did not want to endorse Kamala Harris, however in response to backlash confirmed she was voting Democratic while criticizing the party's lack of policies protecting LGBTQ+ people and it’s stance on the Palenstein genocide.

Chappell Roan hates photographers (October 2024, GUTS Movie premiere): Chappell calls out a photographer for being disrespectful and yelling to her at a Grammys party, demanding an apology.

Chappell Roan uses AI art (January 2025, Instagram): Chappell asks fans to make insane AI images of her on her private Instagram, just disappointing considering how much AI harms real artists. 

Chapppell Roan hates parents (March 2025, Call Her Daddy Podcast): After saying that all her friend’s with children are miserable, likely due to their young age and the state of the economy.

Chapppell Roan isn’t politically educated (March 2025, Call Her Daddy Podcast): Chapppell complains about expectations to be informed on everything because of her past advocacy.

Social media is like a game of telephone, where information and gossip is passed through post to post, the original story getting lost along the way. Except it really shouldn’t be. Usually, the source and backstory can be found through a quick Google search (criticisms of Google’s AI aside). The internet has made finding information accessible, however the catch-22 is that it makes sharing information just as easy. And so, misinformation spreads just as quick as the truth, if not faster.

On social media, credibility isn’t a necessity to gain attention. The anonymous nature of the internet makes it easy to exaggerate and lie, as there isn’t a real way to hold others accountable. Everyone has probably clicked on a dramatic headline that turned out to be more clickbait than a genuine story, but how many people remember who wrote or published it?

The internet thrives on instant gratification. Social media profits off users making one more click, swipe, comment. This goes both for the platform and the accounts, who in return for your time get attention or money. Algorithms prioritize content that keep the audience engaged for the longest time, so some post deliberately dramatically to get attention. One way to do that is to make the viewers emotionally invested. 

The average person doesn’t really care about a Chappell Roan interview. To get attention, they make it provoking, maybe cutting it to a snippet, leaving out context, and giving it an accusatory caption . If it sounds controversial, it’s suddenly much more appealing. It’s not that social media makes people more emotional than reading a magazine or newspaper, it’s that it’s acceptable and encouraged to give big reactions. Most people don’t actually laugh out loud or argue with strangers in real life. But online, people argue and defend in the comments, giving  even more engagement, feeding into the cycle. All it takes is one post to go viral before others pop up parroting it’s message, and information is spread.

But what effect does this have on the viewer? The intense atmosphere of social media can keep viewers engaged longer than they plan to becasue of it's influencing on their emotions and thoughts. Everything is biased in some way, and it’s important to recognize what message is being sent from our feed to be aware of how it affects us.

Remember, social media should be something beneficial to your life. If you're not getting enjoyment or education, don’t engage with it!