This story was originally published on Passionfruit.
This article contains descriptions of abuse.
In November, my For You page (FYP) was a constant stream of videos from people sharing deeply traumatic experiences. Many of the creators were participating in specific trends that either partly or primarily centered on experiences of abuse and grief. For instance, one trending song, “Seventeen Going Under” by Sam Fender, has largely soundtracked stories of domestic violence, child abuse, or sexual abuse. Another song, “Lights Are On” by Tom Rosenthal, has become the go-to song for experiences with bullying, grief, or the same types of abuse listed above. There are several more of these trends that have popped up just in the last month.
I felt unsettled by these trends, not necessarily because of the actual subject matter of the individual videos, but because of the sheer quantity of videos I was receiving. After speaking to friends and scrolling through the comments of some of these videos, it appears I’m not the only one.
