The amount of internet challenges that have hit YouTube’s “most watched” list is starting to get out of hand.

The first challenge that I ever did was in middle school, back in 2009. The cinnamon challenge was the thing to do and if you didn’t do it, then you weren’t doing “the cool thing.”

During one of my after-school adventures with a few of my friends, we decided to try it out. The burning sensation when you tried swallowing the cinnamon down your throat, was unbearable. The cinnamon clogged your throat, making it impossible to swallow, there was no choice but to cough it up all over my friends.

After doing the cinnamon challenge, I thought the thrill was amazing and it gave us all a good laugh at the time. Just like other challenges, the hype of the challenge lasted about two weeks before everyone moved on with their lives.

Now, this was before posting challenges on the internet was the new norm. This challenge was back when Myspace was the only form of social media outlet there was. When everyone was decorating their profile, choosing their “top 10 friends list” and picking your favorite Lady Gaga song to play every time someone viewed your profile.

Fast forward a couple of years to the Harlem Shake. This challenge I believe was the start to posting challenges on social media. I remember posting our app edited video onto Facebook for my friends to see and to show them that I was with the times and was keeping up with the latest social media trends. This was one of the less harmful challenges, as everyone dressed up in weird clothing and acted like they were going on with their normal lives, until the bass dropped, and everyone did their weird dance.

As time continued to evolve, these social media challenges got weirder and more dangerous. I mean one weird challenge was everyone obsession with Kylie Jenner’s surgically enhanced lips.

This trend involved people to put a small glass, such as a shot glass over their lips and suck the air out. After a couple minutes when the small glass was ready to come off, their lips were five times the size, as if they had just got stung by a bee and had an allergic reaction.

After their allergic reaction lips were created, people would take it to social media, by posting side by side pictures of their “new” lips and Kylie Jenner.

Now, let’s not forget about Tide Pods. I have no idea how or why this challenge was created. But the GEN-X generation was all over that challenge. Teenagers would put the laundry detergent in their mouth and tried to eat it?

This challenge was extremely dangerous as the chemicals within the laundry detergent were created to get the stains out of clothes. These chemicals were harmful on the human body, but teenagers loved the chicken nugget shaped laundry detergent. This challenge got so out of hand that the Tide Pod company threatened to remove the product from the shelves of grocery stores. They even had famous National Football League (NFL) tight end Rob Gronkowski take it to our TV commercials to tell us all that they are not meant to be eaten.

Last but not least, the newest/dangerous social media challenge, the Bird Box challenge. By now, majority of the population has seen the movie Bird Box starring Sandra Bullock. The movie is pretty much about how they have to blindfold themselves or cover up their houses and cars to protect them from the unknown demon that brainwashes you to commit suicide, or to help this unknown demon unblindfold other civilians.

The social media challenge started off somewhat harmful as people blindfolded themselves and tried to do chores around their house. However, in order for people to gain more social media attention, they needed to stand out from the rest.

People began blindfolding themselves and driving. This would cause car accidents and putting other people in danger. Now, I understand blindfolding yourself and trying to certain tasks around the house, but driving? Society and their social media challenges are beginning to reach a whole other level of endangering not only yourself, but other people.

Now a days, society is caught up in trying to get the greatest number of likes. We think that the more likes or views we get, the cooler we are. Social media is consuming us and its beginning to get out of hand. What started as a simple middle school challenge that made us all laugh, turned into challenges that force us to hurt ourselves, so people we don’t even know can get a good laugh.

— Caylah Lunning, Staff Writer