TikTok of couple caught on camera at Coldplay concert goes viral. The internet is determined to find 'cheaters.' Why?

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6 days ago

Coldplay's live performance of 'Sparks' went viral last month as the heartbreak anthem resonated among yearners. Now, the band is back under the spotlight, but not for Chris Martin's singing.
A couple caught on camera at a Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on July 16 has the internet up in arms. With over 23 million views and counting, the video shows the couple swaying and smiling, but they quickly hide from the camera after landing on the Jumbotron.
'Uh oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' Martin joked.
Speculation ensued in the comments, and TikTok users made efforts to identify the couple, with commenters investigating their supposed jobs, employers and marital status. USA TODAY has reached out for comment.
Massive media accounts like Pop Crave and Pop Base spread the alleged affair to millions of followers on X –– along with the rumored names and titles of the couple.
As we seep deeper into surveillance culture, people are subjected to increased scrutiny online. Every wrong action, suspicious glance or physical attribute can be picked apart by millions of people on social media. TikTok sleuthing, in particular, appears to have a sharp focus on exposing cheaters.
Add this incident to a growing trend on social media, where internet sleuths are going out of their way to find strangers they deem deserving of a public shaming. Some on TikTok are accusing their airplane seatmates of cheating on their spouse; others post detailed accounts of meeting men on their bachelor parties to alert their fiancées they are being unfaithful. "Are We Dating the Same Guy" Facebook groups alert women to allegedly toxic men, and 'loyalty testers' have made a living off of catching cheaters in the act.
Though much of this seems well-intentioned, experts say becoming an amateur social media detective isn't the greatest idea, as you might wind up causing more harm than good.
"They justify violating the privacy of the alleged offender because they have accepted the story as true and, thus, prematurely judged the individual as guilty and undeserving of privacy rights," psychologist Reneé Carr previously told USA TODAY.
Why do we care about these strangers' personal lives?
At the surface level, spectators simply love the drama. But beneath that, psychologists say society has developed a 'gotcha mentality' that fuels this discourse.
"We love to partake in other's messy lives," Erica Chito-Childs, senior associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Hunter College, previously told USA TODAY. "Partly because it makes us feel better about our own lives and/or it resonates with what we are adamantly for or against, thanks to the ever more accurate algorithms."
The quick snap of a camera or even observing someone opening an app is fodder for nosy observers to gain a few details about someone's life. Nothing stops them from posting about it – and people are quick to add to the discourse, trying to right supposed wrongs.
"With the birth of cancel culture and an increase in self-entitlement, a large part of society has adopted a 'gotcha' mentality as well as a hypersensitivity to offense and any perceptions of injustice," Carr explained. "For the social media audience, this is even more so."
'Loyalty tests' are viral online. Has cheating paranoia gone too far?
Sleuthing can have unintended consequences
Just because we have the tools to find people faster doesn't mean we should.
Sleuthing and the online hate campaigns that follow can lead to negative consequences. "Sharing sensitive information that a person intended to keep private can adversely impact that person's mental health and it can put them at risk of being harassed, bullied or harmed physically," said Brad Fulton, associate professor of management and social policy at Indiana University – Bloomington.
The Coldplay couple reacted suspiciously — had they simply smiled or turned their heads rather than bolting away from the cameras, people may have brushed it off as a shy duo. But even if they are having an affair, does the crime fit the punishment?
"I highly caution others to not be so eager to bandwagon, pick sides and jump to conclusions when presented with limited information," Chase Cassine, licensed clinical social worker, explained. "You may be presented with a flawed, biased and one-sided perspective where pertinent information has been concealed or omitted."
Contributing: David Oliver
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Couple caught on camera at Coldplay concert goes viral. Has TikTok sleuthing gone too far?
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