The infamous Kent State University Pisser has been running wild all over TikTok. Other universities have similar-style videos in which students participate. The trend involves students going around their campus and urinating on campus signs and monuments.
“There is usually some novelty to a social media trend, so this is something that hasn’t been widely seen before,” David Silva, associate professor in the School of Communication Studies, said. “I think similarly, like a reckless trend, it’s attention-getting because it’s new or unexpected.”
Silva’s area of study focuses on social media and various online spaces, and how they can hinder productive communication.
The Cinnamon Challenge, first covered by the Kent Stater in 2012, was one of the first viral challenges to cause concern. When participants tried to consume a tablespoon of ground cinnamon without water, they began to cough violently and choke. Sometimes, they were sent to the hospital because they inhaled the fine powder. The article explored why there was still a desire to participate after so many instances of harm.
In late 2017, the Tide Pod trend caused national safety centers to issue warnings to parents. Teenagers recorded themselves biting into laundry detergent pods, mostly Tide Pods. Harvard Health Publishing reported that “with social media, today’s teens have potentially millions of people watching and egging them on, mostly people they didn’t choose, who are not there in person, and who have zero interest in their well-being.”
Aside from personal harm, some of these trends damage properties. The most notable example is the Devious Licks Challenge. CNN reported, “whether it’s stolen urinals, smashed floor tiles or missing soap dispensers, the destruction is apparent in school bathrooms across the United States.”
“[The Devious Licks Challenge] was a big deal the first few years of the pandemic,” Principal of Theodore Roosevelt High School, Dennis Love, said. “We don’t really see it anymore.”
The Nicki Minaj Stilettos Challenge is another prime example. People reported that what started as a throwback trend quickly became one of the summer’s most popular trends. In this challenge, users stand in stiletto heels on thin surfaces and attempt to balance. One influencer posted a video of her trying the trend while posing on her kitchen island and falling off.
Silva believes this is relevant not only for Generation Z or Generation Alpha, but for all generations. Every generation has its own type of reckless trends.
“I grew up with the Jackass franchise … all youngish [people] doing idiotic physical stuff, like really harmful, and kind of watching them being harmed on television,” he said.
Reckless trends even date back to the 1930s. One Harvard student bet $10 that he could swallow a whole, live goldfish. In the 1950s, The Kent Stater reported on ridiculous trends, like telephone boothing, where students would cram themselves into phone booths, seeing how many would fit.
Today’s difference is how rapidly videos can spread and be distributed to millions of viewers.
A recent notable trend being the campus pissers. Public urination is illegal in Ohio, so not only are participating students destroying university property, but they are committing a crime.
“There’s good and bad [with social media trends.] There will be harm, unfortunately,” Silva said. “I think we should strive to reduce that harm as much as possible.”
Haley Reedy is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].