“I might wake up a slave.”

“Why didn’t the Germans just leave Germany before the Holocaust? This is the time right now that we should all leave Germany.”

“[To anyone living] where I won’t get shot on sight for being a lesbian … do you want to get married? I need someone that has a non-American passport that wants to get married.”

“If you’re a black man and you voted for Trump … I hope that cop beats you so good.”

These are just a handful of viral TikToks that received millions of views in the online meltdown after President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping victory. Other viral videos show people setting up their tripods, hitting record, and then screaming, ranting, or sobbing into the camera for minutes on end, only then to upload that footage to the internet for the world to see.

On one hand, this stuff is kind of hilarious. While Trump has many shortcomings and will certainly do controversial things as president, none of these people’s apocalyptic fears will actually happen. Heck, Trump openly supports gay marriage! But on another level, this profound paranoia is deeply harmful — and emblematic of the digital culture rot that’s tearing our society apart.

It’s not just these individual creators who are suffering distress — they’re inflicting false panic on thousands upon thousands of young, vulnerable onlookers. Just consider the kinds of comments you’ll find under their videos from everyday viewers:

“I’m in Texas and I am so afraid.”

“Trying not to worry too much but I’ve been up since 3 crying and panicking.”

“I feel like i’ll be going 6ft under.”

“I’m panicking [for real.] We need a proper evacuation plan.”

It’s one thing to make a fool out of yourself. But it’s sick to scare thousands of young people to the point of sheer panic based on doomsday scenarios with no basis in reality. Remember, Trump was already president from 2017 to 2021, and essentially all of these people were basically fine.

This kind of fearmongering can have tragic results.

The Trevor Project, an LGBT activist nonprofit organization that operates suicide prevention hotlines and chat services, reported a 700% increase in activity for its services after the election compared to the week before. Some unknowable number of misguided, mentally ill young people could tragically take their lives in response to this election — a dark decision rooted not in the reality of the situation, but in the doomsday propaganda they’ve been infected with over the internet.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER 

Rhetoric has consequences. And while the most hysterical reactions and far-fetched rhetoric might help boost views and bring in money, left-wing content creators are doing their audiences a profound disservice in the election aftermath.

The world will not end when Trump becomes president again. But some people’s worlds might end if they tragically buy into the hysterical nonsense that social media stars are selling.

Brad Polumbo is an independent journalist and host of the Brad vs Everyone podcast.