As humans, there are two experiences we've all had: We've all felt left out of a group that we really wanted to be a part of, and we've all been captured on video without realizing it, often at an unflattering angle.
We all know how hurtful, embarrassing, and cringey those moments are, so you would think we'd do what we could to put it behind us.
Instead, a trend called the "Camera Flipping Trend" has gone viral on TikTok to inspire both of these feelings. A group of people will ask someone who clearly isn't a part of their crew to hold their phone so they can see the screen while filming a selfie video before pressing the button to flip the camera and record their unsuspecting victim.
The camera then shows the person who isn't part of the group, either at an unflattering angle or looking terribly confused by why the group is suddenly laughing.
The group will then post the embarrassing video of the person, just to encourage other people to laugh at them during a low moment.
One example of the Camera Flipping Trend that went viral involved TikToker @nevaermind, though it was because it called out the girls who had pulled the trend on her.
The video features four girls laughing and having a good time before the camera flips to a confused girl.
The video then cuts to a second video that TikToker @nevaermind stitched with it, shaking her head in dismay.
In a text overlay throughout the video, the TikToker wrote:
"Please don't do this."
"I've been nothing but kind to you."
"What did I do to deserve this? I've shown you nothing but good."
You can watch the video here:
The trend has, unfortunately, been very popular, with most targets of the trend looking just as confused and dismayed as TikToker @nevaermind. The point of the trend is clearly to target someone who is outside of the group, and the switch-up only serves to isolate and embarrass them even more.
Fellow TikToker Kal McRaven, or @funkyfrogbait on the platform, came across the trend, and not knowing what it was, decided to look it up and was thoroughly infuriated by what they discovered.
The TikToker vented:
"I didn't know what the 'Flip the Camera' trend was, so I looked it up..."
"I cannot imagine growing up in today's climate. Like, back when I was a kid, if someone bullied you, you at least didn't have to worry about millions of people seeing it."
"Not one of you little sh*ts [doing the trend] will see the gates of Heaven. Do you understand?"
"I better not catch you on the streets near my house, because your parents are obviously not whooping your a**es enough, so I'm about to fulfill the quota."
Because at the end of the day, the kids on the bad end of this trend did not deserve it.
"All those people that got used and abused to do this stupid trend, every single one of them looks like an absolute sweetheart."
"This just made me very upset on a random Monday morning, and I hate all of you for making this exist."
You can watch their video here:
@funkyfrogbait Where are your parents??! #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #flipcameratrend #rant
Fellow TikTokers agreed, seeing the trend as bullying.
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Social media trends are going to keep coming and going, but TikTok has a weird way of starting trends that push boundaries and simply go too far.
We've all experienced that moment of feeling left out of something, and we can remember what that felt like. Why people would want to inspire that unforgettable feeling in other people is unfathomable.
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