Maree, who did not want her last name used, was sitting in a shopping center when she was approached by 22-year-old TikToker Harrison Pawluk. Pawluk asks the elderly woman if she can look after a bouquet of flowers while he puts on his jacket. He then thanks her and goes on his way. The woman looks apparently touched and begins to cry with joy. What she doesn’t know is that the whole thing is being filmed. Shortly after, it is published on TikTok where several millions have seen it. Tiktoker Harrison Pawluk makes several videos where he gives random people things like flowers. Photo: TikTok Now she calls the whole experience “dehumanizing” and “artificial”. She also claims that she was not allowed to give her consent for the whole thing to be filmed and published. – He disturbed me, filmed and uploaded it without my consent, she said in an interview with ABC Radio Melbourne. Maree feels the whole thing is a condescending assumption: an elderly woman who is supposed to be happy that a stranger gives her flowers. Pawluk’s spokesperson says it was all filmed to spread love. – But if she asks him to delete the video, he does it. Feel good content This video is part of a larger trend on social media, explains Magnus Hoem Iversen. He has studied and written a book about social media. He calls it “feel good” content, and explains that it is an established genre on the internet. – These videos usually consist of a touching story with pleasant content that attracts a lot of attention because it arouses intense emotions in us. Media expert Magnus Hoem Iversen says that consent is important when filming such videos. Photo: Jin Sigve Mæland And if there is one thing that always works on the internet, it is content that arouses intense emotions – both negative and positive. Iversen explains that these videos hit people in a world that otherwise consists of dramatic news. – The Internet has always been a mixture of the terrible and the beautiful. Horrible things that piss you off along with videos of cute cats. That dichotomy has been with us for a long time. Tribute and criticism In the comments section, several people pay tribute to Pawluk: “wow, that was beautiful!” and “bro, this was so cute”. But there are also several who criticize him. “Perhaps you could ask her consent first?” and “consent is also kind”, are some of the comments. There are also several people who have asked him to delete the video. They accuse him and others who create similar content of exploiting random people to get plays and attention. Maree has also made a similar accusation. – I feel like clickbait, she said. TikTok is one of the world’s most used social media. Photo: Kiichiro Sato Iversen believes that those who made the video have made several fundamental mistakes. – Consent is important. These accounts reach millions of people. It’s not just filming other people in what could be private moments and sharing it with millions. He believes that it is absolutely fundamental to ensure consent. – Many manage it well, but what can often happen is that you don’t have the necessary ethical antennae or the reflection around the power that comes with millions of followers.
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Feeling hung out on TikTok – news Culture and entertainment
