Abby Connolly
Have you ever noticed that some people tend to be really selfish online? For example, if you’re scrolling through apps like TikTok or YouTube and see people make comments about themselves on content that has nothing to do with them or does not apply to them?
If this has caught your eye lately, you may be interested in the “What About Me Effect.”
Sarah (@sarahthebookfairy), a TikTok content creator who makes videos about books and lifestyle, made a video breaking down the “What About Me Effect,” which could explain why some people online seem to only care about themselves and their needs.
“The “What About Me Effect,” basically combines individualistic culture with being chronically online, and it is rampant on TikTok,” explains Sarah in her video.
“I feel like it’s very easy to write it off as, like, a lack of common sense or critical thinking, but I don’t think it’s that.”
Sarah explains that this effect is used to describe when someone sees something online that doesn’t pertain to them, or they can’t relate to, and instead of leaving it alone, they find a way to make it about themselves.
Sarah then says that one of the best examples of people being affected by this effect was how some TikTok viewers reacted to a woman’s video about her bean soup recipe that went viral.
A TikTok creator made a recipe video about a bean soup that was perfect for those who needed some extra iron in their diet. Suddenly, that TikTok creator was flooded with comments from viewers who felt the need to make the video about themselves.
There were many comments from people asking, “What should I do if I don’t like beans?”
Well, maybe you shouldn’t be commenting on a video that’s all about bean soup.
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