In an age where technology, including AI, is making everything from fake news to hyper-realistic images more common, media literacy seems to be on a downward spiral. There are plenty of serious consequences to this trend, but today I’m talking about something more personal: the fact that it’s incredibly annoying. Specifically, it’s driving me mad every time I scroll through TikTok, Instagram, or X (formerly known as Twitter) and the algorithm throws up a viral video that promises to be hilarious and authentic—but turns out to be painfully fake.
Imagine this: a video with thousands of likes and comments filled with “LMFAO” and “omg, so funny.” Like a sucker, I click on it, ready to laugh. But all too often, the disappointment is immediate. The problem isn’t that I don’t find it funny—different senses of humor, I can handle. What grates me is when I see a "candid" video, lauded as hilarious by the masses, that is so obviously, painfully staged.
There are so many types of fake content out there, and I’m bewildered that more people can’t spot it. For example, you’ve got the family “casually” recording their conversation, only for someone to suddenly say something “hilarious” on cue. You’ve got prank videos between couples where the reactions are so scripted it’s laughable—but not in the way the creators intended. There’s also the classic “crazy text conversation” that’s clearly written by someone who’s never heard how actual humans speak.
Within seconds, I can tell the scenario is fake. What really irks me, though, is that so many people fail to see it. They watch, laugh, comment “LOL,” and move on, buying into this lazily staged content as if it were spontaneous.
This isn’t like professional wrestling, where everyone knows it’s scripted, but it’s still fun to watch because of the performers’ effort. These fake videos lose their appeal the moment you realize they’re staged, because they rely on a façade of spontaneity. When that’s gone, so is the entertainment.
The real frustration is that there are plenty of genuinely funny people online, and plenty of hilarious moments caught on camera that are truly authentic. There are also comedians out there putting real effort into creating comedy, making sketches, and honing their craft. The fact that viewers confuse these meticulously crafted pieces with slapdash fake videos only adds insult to injury.
It’s not just that people fall for the occasional fake video—sometimes they’re well done, and I get it. What I can’t stand is that so many people consume these videos without a moment’s thought. There’s no pause to wonder, “Is this realistic? Do people actually talk like that?” It’s as if critical thinking has been tossed out the window, replaced with a knee-jerk reaction to type “LOL” or slap an emoji on it.
This might seem trivial, but it worries me. If people can’t stop to critically assess a silly video, how are they going to evaluate AI-generated content or identify fake news in the future?
As someone who works in comedy, this trend is especially frustrating. Our industry is already struggling—there are fewer comedy films being made, and TV isn’t exactly thriving. The fact that a show like The Bear keeps winning comedy awards when it barely makes you chuckle says a lot about the state of things.
Meanwhile, lazy content keeps thriving. It’s bad enough dealing with bad comics or the tired “men pretending to be their wives” sketches. Worse are the endless podcasts where unfunny guys somehow gain massive audiences. But the icing on the cake is when people treat low-effort fake content as if it’s authentic—and then reward it with likes and admiration.
I used to have a “live and let live” attitude about this kind of thing. If people want to enjoy something, fine. But I’ve reached my limit. I’m tired of people skipping the hard work it takes to create good comedy and reaping the rewards anyway.
I urge everyone to take just a few seconds to think about what they’re watching. This should apply to life in general, but start small—please, for the love of all things funny, start with the videos.
