Hate-watching is still watching

In an informationally abundant society, there is something new to see every time we open our phones, especially on social media. Anyone can post anything, and anything we see can spark a thought or emotion. Often, we don’t like what we see, but sometimes there is genuinely harmful content. We may be tempted to leave a comment urging the creator to stop or send the post to our friends to get their reaction, but before choosing to engage, ask, “Would this help solve the problem?”

Most of the time, that answer is “no.” 

“One of the inputs in most of the major social media sites’ algorithms is engagement,” said Talia Stroud, professor in communications studies and director of the Center for Media Engagement. “Any action that you do with that content, whether you’re clicking to watch a video, whether you’re commenting, whether you’re sharing — all of that provides a signal to the platform that it has content that is engaging enough for you to do one of these actions.”

Social media algorithms don’t care why you’re watching or engaging, just that you’re doing it. And when you do, whether it’s sharing an AI-generated dog eating chips video to your mom or commenting that someone’s backflip off the roof into their pool could cause susceptible watchers to try it at home, the algorithm will continue to not only push that type of content onto your feed, but onto others’ as well.

“I think people have lost the concept of shame on the internet, unfortunately,” architecture sophomore Victoria Miranda said. “I think people are way too comfortable with posting things that, a lot of the time, they know are bad, and you’ll see them try to justify it in their videos. I think that you don’t need to post everything that you think. You don’t need to try to justify everything.” 

There’s something very satisfying about leaving a comment on a post you disagree with. I often see hate comments on random TikToks or reels that I watch, and I receive posts shared by my friends and family that have upset them. I, like everyone else, have been in a position where I’ve had to fight the urge to comment on or share something I’ve disliked.

“No one is forcing you to watch that video,” Miranda said. “You don’t have to like it. You don’t have to be a part of that conversation. … You’re not doing anything but boosting their own engagement on that video and helping them to monetize whatever it is they’re trying to do. So I would just brush it off and scroll past.”

However, we shouldn’t ignore harmful content or its implications, and there are ways of dealing with these creators without boosting their engagement. 

“You can actually report (harmful content) to the platform,” Stroud said. “If that content is found to be harmful or violating one of the policies of the platform, then action can be taken against the creator, which can include everything from the most extreme of deplatforming to downbreaking content for a time to all sorts of different actions.”

Reporting, as Stroud suggests, is one way to hold creators accountable. You can also block the creator or talk about the broader issue without sending everyone back to the original post.

But most importantly, you can use your own voice to spread positivity in a negativity-dominated online environment. Just like these other creators, everyone has the opportunity to build a platform based on their values and beliefs. People spend lots of time creating, commenting and sharing, but we might as well use that attention to make the digital space more positive, rather than helping the content we don’t like reach more people.

Cintron is a journalism junior from Houston, Texas.

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