December 22 TikTok incident serves as a reminder of the constant balancing act platforms must perform to foster a safe and engaging environment for users with the slideshow pictures viral
In the ever-evolving landscape of social media, TikTok has become a cultural phenomenon, serving as a breeding ground for viral trends, challenges, and memes. However, not all moments in the app’s history are celebratory and one particular date, December 22, 2022, etched its mark as a day of infamy in the TikTok community.
Explained what is the December 22 incident on TikTok as slideshow pictures and video go viral on Twitter
December 22 TikTok had officially join the gang pic.twitter.com/KvRyJFv5si
— sicko (@RepsR4LOSERS) December 23, 2022
POV: you after looking at a slideshow on tiktok at December 22 9:00 pic.twitter.com/bNaop5g1ZD
— Bertram (@Goofyahstuff) December 24, 2022
On December 22, 2022, users discovered an unexpected loophole that allowed them to post explicit content under TikTok’s slideshow effect. Noah Glenn Carter in a video dubbed December 22 as the “most infamous day in TikTok history.” The revelation took the form of slideshows containing hidden adult content and what followed was a cascade of explicit material going mega-viral.
Noah Glenn Carter explained that the explicit content started gaining unprecedented traction. Strangely, TikTok’s algorithm seemed to be actively recommending these explicit slideshows to a wide audience, making them prevalent across the app. What set this incident apart was the apparent lack of immediate moderation, allowing the explicit content to circulate freely.
The prevailing speculation is that the moderation team was understaffed or perhaps off for the Christmas holiday which resulted in a delay in taking down the explicit content. The issue persisted until December 25 when the platform managed to address the situation and remove the offending material. This incident sheds light on the challenges faced by social media platforms in maintaining effective content moderation, especially during holidays when staffing might be reduced.
Noah’s analysis also brings attention to the broader issue of content moderation on TikTok. One notable example is the Pokémon 777 filter, a now-deleted feature that flashed not-safe-for-work images when applied. This subsequent incident highlights an ongoing struggle for platforms to stay ahead of creative attempts to bypass content guidelines.
The timing of the December 22 incident during the holiday season may have played a role in the delayed response from TikTok’s moderation team. The surge in explicit content during this period, coupled with potential reduced staffing, underscores the need for robust and adaptable content moderation strategies.