As the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Will Bunch put it so well recently, forgetting about the concept of the public good is a major problem for us Americans — and it struck me that the ordeal of Robert McCoy, TikTok’s beleaguered accidental star, is the perfect example of the malaise that Bunch is describing.
@laurenzarrasrobbie had no idea♬ still falling for you – audiobear
To sum up: Robert went viral as “Couch Guy” when his long-distance girlfriend uploaded a short video of him on TikTok. She was paying him a surprise visit and thought it would be cute to share the experience. But because Robert was reserved and didn’t perform an ecstatic display in the video, TikTok users and the greater internet became suspicious of the video. They decided that Lauren was in denial about their relationship, and that Robert was obviously cheating, probably with the women who were on the couch with him.
Robert wasn’t just doubted — he was investigated. People intruded on his private life. Someone slipped a note under his door. Body language experts dissected his behavior. People who weren’t body language experts dissected him some more. He was accused of gaslighting. His girlfriend was accused of being servile, protecting a monster.
Things got just a little out of hand!
I’ve seen viral investigations go dangerously out of control, and I am concerned that people are not using their investigative skills for good.
A big part of my life involves teaching people how to do open-source research. Lately, however, I am striving to make my students focus more on the ethics of such research.
Like anyone else, I love internet folklore. I also love a potentially exciting, soap opera-esque story of an alleged cheater. But I’ve seen viral investigations go dangerously out of control, and I am concerned that people are not using their investigative skills for good.
The true crime genre is fascinating for many reasons, but investigating true crime is particularly addictive because it gives people a sense of control in the face of horror. The dark, disturbing case of Gabby Petito produced a slew of online investigations and conspiracy theories — which was only natural, if not helpful. A crime had been committed. People wanted answers.
I am not a fan of conspiracy theories and online vigilantism. I can, at the very least, understand why the Petito case fired up the internet so much.
The case of Robert McCoy, who had committed no crime, is the logical extension of such vigilantism, however. Ultimately, it’s not about justice. It’s about what gets the internet excited. And Couch Guy happened to be extra exciting.
Now more than ever, we need to be asking ourselves if our actions are serving the public good. And this doesn’t just go for individuals. What about platforms like TikTok and Twitter, whose algorithms encourage and drive viral moments without anyone considering if these viral moments are doing actual harm?
We need responsibility from our tech giants, and we need it because it’s actually not healthy or good to be caught up in the drama that Robert and Lauren were caught up in. And people who think that they could never be next are fooling themselves.
I have particular sympathy for Robert, because I too have been known to act “inappropriate” during stressful or simply unexpected situations. When I was being interviewed about a traumatic event on NPR years ago, the interviewer noted that there was a smile in my voice. The smile was my defense mechanism, and I tried to explain this. It didn’t stop very many people online to speculate that I was “deranged” and “lying” about said traumatic event.
I hadn’t even gone viral as Robert had done, and yet the experience made me feel anxious and even ashamed. I didn’t play up to the public’s stereotypes. People I didn’t know were suddenly mad at me. Strangers had created a funhouse mirror version of my life and were saying that it was real.
With this possibility now hanging over everyone’s heads, are we really surprised at the level of anger and stress in society?
Isn’t it time to do something?
Image credit: Alexander Shatov