With the current rise in popularity of TikTok, there have been about 500 million active users monthly on the app. Due to the creator fund, TikTok users have been looking for ways to rise to the top. The issue isn’t the search for fame – it’s the lengths creators will go to chase it. It’s no surprise to see that there are numerous creators that are exposed for faking disabilities for views.
Sometimes, these videos are convincing, fooling millions of innocent viewers who cannot tell a difference. The creators get away with fooling all those people. Once these creators get exposed, it shines a negative light on the disabled community. If a member from the disabled community posts videos bringing awareness to their disability, they may be accused of creating sympathy and gaining attention.
See the issue here? Creators who fake these disabilities are taking the spotlight away from the disabled community in the worst way possible.
Faking Tourette’s
Tiktok user ticsandroses is an example of someone faking a disability for internet fame. Their account is currently unavailable, but you can watch a compilation of their videos here.
They claimed to have Tourette Syndrome: a neurological disorder involving repetitive movements or unwanted sounds (also known as tics). This person fooled thousands of people, but others weren’t convinced. Suspicion rose from the videos; as a result, a subreddit was created to discuss it. Many users discussed the validity of the “tics”, digging up old information and another Tiktok account(s) that ticsandroses had.
On this alternate account, the content creator spoke normally and had no sign of tics. They have also made an hour-long livestream with no tics as well.
Not only that, but ticsandroses’s sister spoke on the subreddit, calling them out for faking Tourette’s:
Once ticsandroses was called out for faking their tics, they deleted their account and focused on another. No matter the amount of comments that flooded the video, ticsandroses never apologized nor took accountability for their actions. They ended up responding to one comment sarcastically celebrating their “recovery” from Tourette’s.
Hey, I was not planning to address this anymore, because addressing it has not fixed it. I have not gotten through my tics. I just don’t record on days I have my tics because I was literally bullied off the internet. So, I do not to awareness for Tourette’s anymore, regardless of the fact that I do have a clinical diagnosis. I am spending my time on my yarn business and religious group. I just want to live my life.
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ticsandroses/comments/nrmcvd/give_it_up_emerald/
Despite all the people who have called them out on faking the disability, ticsandroses stands true to their word and has never apologized.
What’s the Big Issue?
Faking disabilities online to garner internet fame is extremely harmful to the disabled community. It creates a negative stigma about every disabled person on social media “faking”, which takes a toll on those who are simply just trying to spread awareness. Social media has always had the obsession of calling out people with disabilities. Now that it’s popular to fake the disabilities, there’s no room for people with an actual disability to raise awareness.
Social media is a space for these people to create an open and accepting community for them. More people faking disabilities cause others to question the legitimacy of disabled people; it seems like the community is being torn into shreds.
In order to give people with actual disabilities the platform they deserve, we need to amplify their voices and understand their hardships. We also can raise awareness of the harm of faking these disabilities thing ourselves. It is important to stop the trend of faking disabilities for attention and fame – there’s nothing good that truly comes out of it.
