Latent Exposure to Violence on Short-Form Media Apps

Social media platforms give users nearly endless access to short videos that provide information and entertainment. Although algorithmic suggestions curate a user's experience, they cannot fully control what the platform’s algorithm displays. This means unwanted material may be displayed to a user, with some of this material being frightening or upsetting. Prior research has examined children’s exposure to violence on platforms like TikTok and Instagram and found negative impacts on development. However, it has been difficult to track the fatigue or stress that adults may experience when they inadvertently encounter violent or upsetting videos, especially in short bursts while the user has the ability to scroll potentially infinite times. This study used mixed methods to examine how often adults unintentionally encounter violent short-form media and the effects. Content analysis and surveys were the two methods. Research for this study included creating a sample account to track the frequency of violent videos on the suggested page. I also distributed questionnaires to a small group of fewer than 50 adults, asking about the frequency of exposure, whether the encounters were intentional, and the impact on the respondents. The findings indicate that adults frequently encounter violent content unintentionally, and these encounters primarily produce negative effects. Content analysis also reveals that even without user searches or interactions, algorithms on platforms like TikTok interweave violent videos between benign ones.