Why can't we stop watching TikTok cheating content?

Try to imagine. A Saturday evening. You're sitting in a restaurant and out of the corner of your eye you see your girlfriend's boyfriend kissing another girl. What do you do? Do you say nothing, do you call her to tell her that her partner is cheating on her, or do you post a video of the "deed" on TikTok and start a virtual punishment expedition for the cheater? Or imagine a different scenario. It's your wedding day. Everything is ready. You've chosen the dress, the reception venue is set, the tablecloths coordinate with the bridesmaids' dresses, and all you have to do is finish getting ready and confidently walk towards the altar. There's still time before the big event, and while taking a relaxing bath, you decide to glance at TikTok. That's when you come across a video of a young woman saying: "If you’re marrying a builder called Adam from London on the 27th of August, please message me, I know what happened on the stag do". What if that woman were you? Would you be relieved to have discovered infidelity before saying "I do," or would you be concerned about your life being exposed on social media without your consent? Who knows if @pollyjaewebster, the creator of this viral content, ever pondered this doubt... probably neither she nor all the other creators who turn into spies and continue to produce videos exposing alleged cheaters and appealing to their followers and their partners.

The Fight Against Infidelity Goes Viral

For some time now, there's a new trend on TikTok: catching cheaters in the act. Remember that Olympic diver who, some time ago, posted a video of his airplane neighbor with the caption "Who is this husband... I'm reading his messages, and he's cheating on you?"? Well, now more and more people are sharing overheard conversations, peeking at a stranger's phone on the subway, and even proposing "fidelity tests" where creators send messages to your partner to test their loyalty. The content formula is more or less the same: a shocking revelation preceded by phrases like "If your name is X, you live in Y, and you're dating Z, I have bad news for you" or "if your name is X and you're friends with Y and Z, they were talking about you behind your back." The comments? Most are thanks to the creator for "doing the Lord's work" once again.

Public Service or Inability to Mind One's Own Business?

Content about infidelity has always been popular on the Internet, but lately, things have reached the next level. People are turning into spies worthy of Jennifer Garner in Alias or new 007s just to have material to post. Users deliberately film the face of the alleged culprit, encouraging their followers to share the video and inviting anyone who recognizes the person in it to identify them. In many cases, the video goes viral, earning TikTok punishers hundreds of thousands of viewers, not to mention those who have started asking for compensation for their "investigations." When you post any content online and mention other people, you inevitably expose them (often without their request) to the judgment of everyone else on the platform. And we're not just talking about the invasion of the privacy of the cheater, but also the pressure that persistent comments like "leave him" or "you'd be stupid to stay with him after all this" have on the decision-making process of those who experience that betrayal. So, one wonders if they are really performing a kind of public service to right a wrong, done in the name of the "male or female code", that unwritten set of rules that compel you to let your circle of friends know if they are being fooled or deceived, or if it's just a way to collect likes, views (and maybe real money) by profiting from others' misfortunes? Is it simply an inability to mind their own business or feeling virtuous in exposing someone acting improperly?

Why Are We Attracted to This Type of Content?

If we question the motivations behind people generating this type of content, we should also wonder why it is so successful. What makes it irresistible? What compels us to watch it? Knowing that Tony is messaging his office colleague or that Lucy is flirting with Vanessa seems harmless, even amusing, comforting. It's as if we're watching Ridge kissing Brooke while being married to Taylor. But even when we remember that these are real people and not our grandmother's favorite actors, we don't stop peeking into their lives from the screen. There's a mix of curiosity about what's happening and how the situation might evolve, but above all, there's a compulsion for voyeurism that generates a sensation of pleasure in viewers. Like with celebrity infidelity gossip, watching others have their secrets and dirty laundry revealed makes us feel good. If something similar is happening to us, we feel part of a community thriving on the "misery loves company" principle. If, on the other hand, everything in our daily life seems to be going wonderfully, the misfortunes of others give us the perception of being lucky, even better off.