On Oct. 5, popular YouTuber and streamer Jack Doherty crashed his almost $200,000 McLaren 570S sports car into a guard rail in Florida. The events following the crash went viral.
Doherty crashed while livestreaming on Kick, a popular streaming platform. In the stream, he can be seen glancing at his phone shortly before impact. After the crash, he continued filming as he tried to get out of the car. At one point, he even asked bystanders to take his camera and keep filming him and his friend, who was bleeding from his head in the passenger seat. Doherty’s friend would later have to get stitches in the hospital, during which Doherty would continue posting pictures.
Although the video was later removed from Kick, it still made its way around social media, sparking conversation about the pursuit of views from content creators, or “clout chasing.”
Clout chasing is defined as an action taken by someone who attempts to attain fame, particularly people who are desperate enough to leverage their proximity to someone famous or engage in outlandish and dangerous behavior to do so.
These clout chasing antics garner views, clicks and likes, even if it is considered dangerous or controversial — after all, controversy keeps people interested. For individuals who use social media as a job, it becomes a source of income. Although for many, this is a way to make money, be it a little extra pocket money or a full living, it can also spell disaster for those who take it too far.
In 2017, Youtuber Logan Paul became the center of a social media storm after posting a video of a dead man in Japan’s Aokigahara forest, a place notorious for deaths and disappearances. Countless people on social media began to call Paul out for his actions. However, the video still brought attention to Paul, even if it was to digitally attack him. Now, seven years later, Paul is still making money and in the public eye.
The idea that any press is good press rings true in situations like this, as it allows users to continue to generate income, no matter how terrible the publicity they have received is. However, this creates a dangerous culture of clout chasing, which can cause people to be affected in a variety of ways.
In 2020, Youtuber David Dobrik and his friend Jeff Wittek went to Utah to film a video where people would be swung around on an excavator while riding various objects. However, Wittek was encouraged to hang onto the rope attached to the excavator without anything else to hold onto. Wittek obliged and was swung around at unsafe speeds. Dobrik suddenly slowed it, causing Wittek to be slammed into the excavator, nearly losing his eye, shattering his skull and breaking several bones.
The video was meant to be a comeback for the social media star, who had previously risen to fame for his vlogs. However, Dobrik’s stunt to gain back his status led to Wittek’s near-death experience. While Dobrik’s situation is an extreme case of clout chasing gone awry, many cases happen on smaller scales.
One trend has become quite prominent on TikTok recently, and is known as “rage bait.” The method of rage baiting started as a simple way to get people to engage with posts, often by leaving hateful comments or causing anger through misguided posts. Even something this simple can be branded as clout chasing because it allows people to perform any type of stunt to pursue money and their fifteen seconds of fame.
Other types of clout chasing include sparking rumors or lying in order to garner more views. In 2021, TikTok user Ava Louise started a rumor that musician Kanye West and a male beauty influencer were having a secret relationship. The rumor spread quickly, with many immediately pointing to makeup YouTuber Jeffree Star as the man involved. However, she later posted a video admitting she made up the story in order to get people to talk about her.
In the ever-evolving landscape of social media, people are having to do more and more outlandish things to gain attention, fame and fortune, leading to sometimes disastrous effects, often harming the people around them.
Alicia Szczesniak is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views of the columnist do not reflect those of the Post. What are your thoughts? Reach out to as589820@ohio.edu to let her know.
