Is “mancharging” the new “mansplaining”? One TikToker’s generosity may have been misplaced when she documented herself sharing a fading charge on her laptop. But was the man she helped simply audacious or oblivious? Or did he have a hidden agenda?
TikToker Helena Honey (@helenahoney) went out of her way to help a stranger in a video she posted Wednesday. Despite crying and having a low charge on her own device, she allowed a man to charge his phone from her laptop—only to find out the man’s phone was at a more than sufficient 80% power level.
The video, which has over 98,000 views and counting, shows Helena smiling at the camera and then features shots of her own laptop and the stranger’s phone.
Helena, who is currently in mourning, wrote, “Lmao stopped me from crying for a few minutes,” in the video’s caption. The on-screen text for the video reads, “Why was I sitting here crying in this hotel lobby & this man asked to use my charger that was plugged in my computer? I thought his phone was about to die it was at 80%.”
“Like sir, mine is at 40%,” she concluded.
@helenahoney Lmao stopped me from crying for a few minutes #crying #depression #healingwithhelena ♬ original sound – blaccmass
“Men will have the most audacity,” one viewer commented. However, most were concerned that Helena may have unwittingly put herself in harm’s way by letting a stranger connect to her computer via a USB cord.
“Girl do not let ANY STRANGERS PLUG ANYTHING INTO YOUR COMPUTER HES PHISHING,” MEAT DEMON (@bodybag.zip) wrote.
“Idk if I’m crazy but what if he was hacking your laptop,” another viewer commented. Helena replied, “Lmao I don’t know what he would do with it but your right.”
“I should have paid attention to those anti-phishing classes they make you take,” she went on to say.
Allowing a stranger to connect to your computer via USB can be highly risky. Even plugging your own phone in can compromise your security.
According to the Mirror, researchers have found that “plugging your iPhone or Android smartphone into a computer results in a whole load of data being exchanged between the two devices. This could include the phone’s name, the manufacturer, the device type, the serial number, firmware information, the operating system information, the file system and the electronic chip ID.”
Technology expert and YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss explains how a “simple iPhone Cable can hack your computer, and steal everything you own” in this video:
“They need to have your picture on the next cybersecurity training they have,” Damnnndevvy (@damnnndevvy) told Helena back on TikTok.
“Lmaoo comment of the year,” she replied.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Helena via TikTok for further comment.
