TikTok and the danger of hubris

TikTok has become my preferred social media platform. I appreciate the interactiveness of video, the ease of adding content, the engagement I’m getting, and the BookTok community I’m happy to be a part of. Like all social media, TikTok has its share of problems and drama. It also shows one of the biggest dangers of the social media age, hubris.

Here’s a rundown of recent events: The biggest drama hitting BookTok is a first-time novelist who attacked an ARC reader who gave her four stars instead of five. The firestorm of criticism caused the novelist’s hybrid publisher to dump her after she spent $9,500 on the book and put it into preorder. And there’s the transgender woman who aspired to be the next Candace Owens. She discovered that sucking up to bullies doesn’t protect you from being bullied, and it alienates you from communities that would offer support. We also have those raging at Target and Chick-Fil-A because they want to support diversity and inclusion.

The root cause of all this drama is hubris. When you feel you’re too good to take criticism, thirst for attention, and claim a moral superiority over people who just want to live their lives and pose no threat to you. (If your faith crumbles at the word “diversity” and a t-shirt with a rainbow on it, perhaps your faith isn’t very strong.)