Is TikT0k Harming Therians?

(2024-02-23 14:35)SilverPawzz Wrote:  Ok, some parts of this post kind of itched me the wrong way... like yeah, a lot of people on social media do quads, that's what gets views, and for some people, it's fun. I feel that part on this post was a bit... weirdly worded? So with your wording, it kind of says that all therians on there are fake, when a lot of people do a species dysphoria. As a therian who has an acc on YouTube with a friend we do mostly quads on there, or that's our plan.
Yeah, most therians on tik tok and stuff like that are fake, I've seen it myself, but this makes me personally feel kind of attacked with your wording. You don't have to do quads, and with some saying "oh you don't need gear to be a therian" they use gear because they have it, most have it. A lot of it is they also don't want to show their face too, that's why they have masks sometimes. Other from that I agree with almost everything thus says, but for me it's how much hate there is on there. Like SSSniperwolf and this one podcast lady that does political videos

But yeah that's kind of my input on this topic- pls dont get mad at me, I'm just inputting how I feel because not all therians on tik tok are bad-

The focus on the gear and quads is that there are many tik-tok-kin who are trying to claim that quads and gear are what make you a therian. There are other issues potentially with both but they're outside of the critique of this discussion.

On top of that, kids are so certain of being a therian nowadays, all it takes to call themselves one are the bloody gear and quads. Then they go ahead and shout it from rooftops, yuck. Where did the discretion go all of a sudden? Do quads and wear gear all you like, but be a little more sensible if you desire to use the terminology right. Start thinking for yourself for a change! Be self-critical! Too much is better than not at all!

Tiktok definitely is a beast. i think it's probably going to be the same as tumblr otherkin. Some people are going to thank it because it will have been their first step in the community, but a lot of the game of telephone will lead others to think it's something that it is not, or worse, will alter the way therian is used in the same way "to kin a character" is used.
My biggest beef with tiktok is that, while I did see a lot of actual experience type stuff from the tumblr era, as fluffy and weird as it sometimes was, I don't see a lot from tiktok therians. It seems weirdly surface level, for something that they say causes them so much grief?

I honestly do not doubt that pain, but... gosh, if they are indeed therians, i can't help but feel a bit bad about the site they chose. Simply saying you hurt doesn't have the same healing effect as reading the experiences of someone hurting in the same exact way you do, and knowing you are not alone.

As for the quad kids.... It's incredibly funny if people start saying that's what makes you a therian. Guess if you're a bird, a snake, or a bass, you better scoot out of the community right this instant.

Honestly, as much as I enjoy the occasional quads in the woods during a mental shift/wearing a tail in my room, I think it's kind of poisoning the community.
And it's even getting into websites like Amazon. Everywhere that used to say furry now says therian too. I can't buy a tail that is meant for cosplay purposes without the label 'therian' being slapped on the title of it. I can't buy those cardboard cat masks off Amazon without them being referred to by companies as 'therian masks'. And it hasn't always been like this. Two years ago I could get on Amazon and buy all the masks and faux tails I wanted and it didn't even mention the word therian anywhere in the description of the product. Do these companies even know what a therian is?? Do they just say it because it makes the product sell better?? What about all of the other non therians who want to cosplay or wear a halloween costume?? Is this making people believe that these products turn you into a therian/make you a therian??
Sorry for the rant, I've just been really frustrated by this. Practically because I try not to buy things that are labeled 'therian' on it because my mom is still really sensitive about me calling myself a therian, but also partially because I actually think this is legitimately harming the community.
And the number of people who call themselves therians is SKYROCKETING. Which would be nice if it was people who were mature, did research and actually were therians. Not that I think that its bad to wear a label for a bit to see if it fits you, but so many kids are doing that with the term therian that it's causing a ridiculous amount of misinformation and unwanted hateful attention to our community.

I think that tic tok therians both do us harm and good, thought more harm. I personally i am a new therian i joined TG not more then two months ago and I found about theriantropy though tic tok. I can say the the misinformation is HUGE. The first video I saw about theriantropy is a tic toker (probably influencer of some kind) was talking about therians as kids wearing masks and doing some kind of weird sport called quads. The quads sport though actually quite piqued my interest. Its actually quite a good sport if i do so myslef it improves strength and flexibility and def durability, or in other words a good sport. Anyways im going off topic.
So I decided to check what was theriantropy and tbh every tic toker was saying a different things to the point i almost started thinking that the whole thing is some kind of weird cult or smt. Anyways tic tok was not to be trusted so i went on google. Thats actually how i discovered TG and the actual meaning of theriantropy. ANYWAYS going off topic again lmao.
I think tik tok therians are effecting the therian in really really bad way. Because most of the internet think that we are bunch of crazy or aesthetic kids who wear mask and run and jump on all fours not that it is necessary a bad thing but they are making some kind of "idealized" (idk if this is the right word) version of theriantropy. Which i think is very unhealthy. Some people earlier mentioned that there were people who are making this thing into an entire roleplay making up stories and some other sh*t up. Which is well... really not ok for the rest of the community. I mean ok roleplay thats not a bad thing but yall should really use terminology the proper way i get that they are bunch of 8-11 kids who have yet to discover who they are but i dont think this is making them any less responsible for the whole miscommunication and false info they are all spreading. Off topic again.. Well basically the only good perk of this is that it may help more actual therians find themself if they are willing to do some research. Anything else is a load of bullcrap in my opinion (though i like the idea of masks they look cool<3). There isnt any good things that we can actually get out of this we can only hope that this trend dies out soon and people forget about it completely.. I think there are few more things I wanted to say but i cant remember rn.. My brain is fast and my fingers slow.. def not good combo..

In the end, who cares, right? So long as you do you, and you hang out with people you feel comfortable with, everything is going to be alright. I can't change their opinion and neither can they do mine. I come here because I enjoy reading about other people's experiences and how they relate to my own, ... If I desire not to stick around, I leave without it influencing who I am. I don't need gear, masks, tails nor quads to enlighten my mood or to alleviate dysphoria. If they think that's what it takes to substantiate therianthropy, then they're by all means welcome to continue that what they're doing.
I think that most serious people on here have left because of this reason, because of the spam-like influencers that go running around momentarily. So long as I have friends here, I stick around, but I'm by no means bound or obligated to stay here. Leaving or not, I don't change faces every time I log on or off. Most of the older folks I have known already know what they are, so they don't need to stick around. We'll see what comes of this.

7 pages of replies!?! Im not reading through all that to make sure I'm not being redundant, sorry!
TikTok "Therians" are a whole other breed, for sure! Personally I find watching quadrobists and Therians (though I use that term loosely, I'm not sure they are, sorry! ^^') making masks enjoyable because as a Furry I can appreciate the artistic talent and as a quadrobist I can appreciate the athletic skill. TikTok seems to be hurting the Therian community, but it hurts all communities tbh. I feel there is nothing wrong with pups expressing their Therianthropy via gear and quads as long as they make it abundantly clear that it is not Therianthropy on its own.
Young pups, listen up!!!
Gear + quadrobics don't make you a therian, never have, never will. I know that's harsh but its the truth. Take time to educate yourself on this site (its the best place to do so imo) you will always have something to learn.

It seems like Tikt0k has become a platform where being a therian has become a trend, but unfortunately, it has led to a lot of fake representations of what it truly means to be a therian.

I've noticed that a lot of people on Tikt0k are posting quadrobics and claiming to be therians, when in reality, participating in quadrobics does not automatically make someone a therian. It's important to remember that being a therian is a deeply personal and not always past lives or a strong connection to animals, and it's not something that should be taken lightly or used for clout on social media.

I also want to give a shoutout to the real therians who are using TikTok to educate and inform others about the community.

I think it's important to recognize the efforts of those who are working to dispel myths and promote understanding about therianthropy. It's not always easy to put yourself out there and challenge misconceptions, so I really applaud those who are doing so.

(2022-12-29 13:34)Osprey Wrote:  I originally learnt about therianthropy from tikt0k and it caused me to do more research on other sites. I think that people posting stuff like quads is ok but it's just causing more people to veiw therianthropy as a trend and people to think that all therianthropy is behaving like an animal. Allot of the tikt0k therians are really nice through

took the words right outta my mouth. I agree that social media is poison (I have Spotify and Pinterest, but I barely use pintrest) but don't the forums count as social media? also I do experience species dysphoria and I enjoy wearing my tail, I also do quads because I like the exercise (I have a whole stretch routine and stuff like that) but I am a therian. but I completely agree that YouTube shorts/tiktok "therians" are hurting the community. I'm grateful my mom has kept me off of there

YES YES YES.

I swear in the 1 or 2 years I was previously on tiktok I saw NO ONE with the actual right definition. I knew about Therianthropy for years but only found out the true meaning after watching Therian Territory's videos.