What Do I Think About Online Challenges? By Amanda Skipper
We have all been around social media long enough to know about the different challenges/hashtags that trend. Anyone remember the Harlem Shake? I recall that trend going around at my school before I had an Instagram account; or rather, I wasn’t really invested with social media at the time. Even so, the Harlem Shake challenge was something I knew of and did with my friends at their Birthday parties. It amazes me how one small idea can get popular and spread around so quickly. Most mainly, participate in these challenges, because of the fact it is popular so they themselves can be too on their posts. Others do it just for the fun of it.
For me personally I have a bit of mixed opinions. On one hand, they can be entertaining to watch, take Tiktok for example. Anytime someone comes up with a new dance, it’s the latest trend and ends up becoming a popular hashtag. I myself had tried but failed at the dances, unbelievably they aren’t as easy as they look. Mind you, I’m not really a dancer, still as the saying goes practise makes perfect. Then there are also the filter effects on Tiktok that go viral. Although that’s mainly due to the fact they’re more interactive. Like the 6-Second Challenge where you have to blink at exactly 6 seconds and I am proud to say I have completed this after many attempts.
However, there is a dark side to these social media challenges. Some can be quite painful and even put someone’s life at risk. I remember watching YouTube video about the Choking/Fainting/Pass-Out Challenge. I never heard of it, so I clicked to see what it was about. I had an idea based off the name but thought it was absolutely ridiculous of why there would be a challenge for people to purposely make themselves faint or wanting to pass out. I didn’t see the ‘fun’ in it despite being a minor myself at the time. Needless to say I was shocked when I found out how many kids and teenagers had passed away from the said challenge. Apparently you could get a brief sense of euphoria or ‘rush of feeling high’ from it. Whilst it may seem obvious how dangerous it is, to a young audience they won’t know any better. Even if they are aware of the consequences, if their friend did it, then why couldn’t they? It’s a dangerous and horrible mindset in this situation. But I did learn something, not every trending hashtag is all that it’s cracked up to be.
So, my overall opinion of online challenges? Honestly, I find most can be quite fun, just think first before going for the challenge. Don’t just follow the trend because it’s popular. If it’s safe, then sure have a go. But don’t do it if it’s dangerous. Is it worth risking? There are a lot of creative challenges out there and there’s always a new one being discovered so there’s plenty of choices to choose from. Some challenges even get brought back and trend again. So be safe and have fun!
