I'm late to TikTok. Like, embarrassingly late.
I only started using it recently because I'm attempting to venture into content creation (keyword: attempting). But being new to the app means that I have a fresh perspective, and I’ve noticed something so strange.
Every single time I open my For You Page, it's drama.
Not occasionally. Not here and there. No, every single time. Some creator is in the middle of a scandal, beefing with another creator, posting a 12-part series about why they're the victim, or making a "response video" to someone I've never heard of about a situation I don't understand.
And I genuinely mean, these are all people I've never heard of.
Probably because I'm employed and don't have time to keep up with the intricate lore of why @beautyguru2847 is no longer speaking to @makeupqueen_official. It’s giving Bye Sister in 2019. But like, irrelevant (sorry.)
For people who've been on the platform since the start, this probably feels normal. It's the frog in boiling water situation. The drama has ramped up so gradually that long-time users don't even notice how toxic it's become. Meanwhile, I'm over here like, "Is everyone on this app in a constant state of crisis?" Blegh. Exhausting.
The algorithm loves drama (and creators know it).
It didn't take long to figure out why this is happening. Drama gets views. Lots of them. The algorithm has trained creators that conflict is the most reliable path to virality, so everyone's always in some "situation."
A minor disagreement that could've been resolved in a single DM becomes a multi-day saga with plot twists, villain arcs, and redemption tours. Why? Because the engagement is insane. People can't look away. I can't look away, even though I have no idea who these people are or what they're fighting about.
Creators have learned this pattern: start beef, post your side, watch the views roll in, escalate when engagement drops, rinse and repeat.
It's not an accident. It's strategy.
Okay but it gets worse. Because there's an entire ecosystem of drama commentary channels whose whole existence is recapping other people's beef.
These accounts present themselves as journalists or documentarians, objectively covering the latest TikTok scandal. But really, they're glorified professional shit-stirrers. Because you know they’re not just reporting on drama, but actually creating the market for it.
Put it this way, creators know that if they start beef, the commentary channels will amplify it for free.
It's a symbiotic relationship. Creator has drama → commentary channels make 15 videos dissecting it → original creator gets more views → they escalate → commentary channels have more content → the cycle continues.
The original issue, whatever it was, gets completely lost. It's just content now. And everyone involved is incentivised to keep it going because they're all getting views.
The result is a platform where manufactured conflict appears to have become the dominant content strategy.
Genuine creativity, helpful information, or even just entertaining videos get buried under an avalanche of "X RESPONDS TO Y" and "THE TRUTH ABOUT Z."
And as someone new to TikTok, it's honestly exhausting. I came here to figure out content creation, maybe learn some things, see what's trending. Instead, I'm drowning in parasocial warfare between strangers.
And of course it works. The algorithm rewards it.
The viewers can't stop watching it. And the creators keep doing it because, well, bills need to be paid and drama pays.
Maybe if you've been on TikTok for years, this all feels normal. But from where I'm standing, fresh off the boat and looking around? Everyone is always in a scandal.
And I'm not sure that's a good thing.
-Sophie Randell, Writer
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