In the high-stakes attention economy of social media, shocking and taboo content can spread like wildfire as users hunt for likes, comments, and follows at any cost. The latest example to set the internet ablaze? A video titled "Using a trout for clout" which depicted a couple performing sex acts with a fish.
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The Anatomy of a Bait-and-Switch Video
According to Know Your Meme, so-called "bait-and-switch" or "clout-chasing" videos aim to lure in unsuspecting viewers with an innocuous or misleading title and thumbnail, only to confront them with explicit, disturbing, or seemingly unrelated content. The goal is to pique curiosity and trick people into watching and sharing, thus boosting the creator‘s engagement metrics and notoriety.
Bait-and-switch tactics are nothing new, with pranksters Rickrolling victims since 2007. But in recent years, the stakes have escalated from harmless memes to content bordering on illegality and depravity.
Dr. Emily Weinstein, a psychology professor at Harvard University, says content creators are locked in "an arms race to keep eyeballs glued to screens by pushing new boundaries in an increasingly crowded and competitive media ecosystem. The algorithms inadvertently reward abrasive and antisocial behavior by equating outrage to engagement."
The Life Cycle of the "Trout Clout" Video
The 45-second uncensored "Using a trout for clout" video originated on the r/Unexpected subreddit in late April 2023 and quickly went viral. Before moderators removed the post for violating Reddit‘s community standards, it garnered over 280 comments, 3,500 upvotes, and untold views.
But taking the video down only added fuel to the fire. The Streisand effect took hold as internet users raced to find and share the elusive video off-platform. Within days, #troutclout was trending on Twitter as censored versions surfaced and racked up a staggering 735,000 views. On 4chan, the video became a meme template, spawning countless "troll edits" and mashups.
Data from social media analytics firm Synthesio shows that online mentions of "trout clout" and related keywords surged 540% in the week after the Reddit ban as morbid curiosity ran rampant. Google Search Trends data also reveals a significant uptick in queries for the uncensored video.
The Murky Ethics of Extreme Clout-Chasing
While many dismissed the "trout clout" video as a silly, one-off stunt, it raises concerning questions about how far creators will sink for online notoriety. Filming explicit content in public and posting it online without the consent of bystanders is not only unethical—it‘s illegal in most jurisdictions.
Tech ethicist Dr. James Suler explains that "The perceived anonymity and distance of screens can warp our sense of empathy and consequences. Combine that with desensitization from over-exposure to graphic content and the gamification of boundary-pushing, and you have a perfect storm for depravity."
Indeed, this is not an isolated incident. In 2018, YouTuber ReSet faced prison time for tricking a homeless man into eating Oreos filled with toothpaste. That same year, an American-Israeli couple was arrested in Thailand for public indecency after posting a viral clip of themselves performing oral sex on a sacred Buddhist monument.
Just last month, TikToker Bryce Williams was charged with a misdemeanor after a "prank" video showed him walking into an IKEA and urinating on a couch in front of horrified shoppers. His video got 2.6 million views before being taken down.
The Responsibility of Platforms and Users Alike
So what can be done to curb the spread of reckless, unethical clout-bait? Platforms are increasingly investing in AI-powered moderation tools to identify and flag dangerous content faster. But whack-a-mole bans can backfire by making the forbidden fruit all the more tempting.
Some argue the onus is on users to be more judicious about what we choose to engage with and amplify. "We vote with our eyeballs," says Tristan Harris, director of the Center for Humane Technology. "What we choose to pay attention to—or ignore—sends powerful feedback signals that shape the incentive structures of the algorithms and the creators who game them."
On an individual level, we can protect ourselves from bait-and-switch content by:
• Resisting the urge to click on sketchy thumbnails or "nightmare fuel" warnings
• Muting or unfollowing accounts that share disturbing content
• Using NSFW filters and content warnings
• Fact-checking sources before resharing
Parents can also promote digital literacy and empathy in the next generation of internet users by discussing these issues early and often. Dr. Jennifer Shapka, an educational psychology professor specializing in cyberbullying, recommends "active mediation—that is, engaging in frequent, open dialogue with kids about their online experiences, both positive and negative. Ask questions, invite their perspectives, and troubleshoot challenges together in a collaborative, non-judgmental way."
Choosing Connection over Clout
Ultimately, stemming the rising tide of "engagement at any cost" will require a profound cultural shift in how we interact with each other online. We must move beyond signaling outrage and smugly dunking on the cringe to extend radical empathy and see the humanity behind the screen.
As MIT sociologist Sherry Turkle writes in her book Reclaiming Conversation, "The feeling that ‘no one is listening to me‘ make us want to spend time with machines that seem to care about us. We expect more from technology and less from each other…To empathize, to grow, to love and be loved, to take the measure of ourselves or of another, we must be in relationship."
The next time you spot desperate clout-chasers one-upping each other with depravity, consider it an invitation to model a different way of being. Refuse to reward them with rage clicks and amplification. Curate your feed to favor voices who contribute nuance, substance, and compassion to the conversation. And most importantly, invest in the hard work of building authentic human connections offline.
Together, we can reimagine a digital public square that brings out the best of our shared humanity rather than mining the worst of our lizard-brain impulses. A social media singularity driven not by the compulsion to go viral at all costs, but by the courage to stay grounded in our values. So the next time you hear "who wants clout?"—may the resounding collective answer be "count me out."
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