I am no stranger to crying at live or even recorded performances. This weekend, I saw the re-release of Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables in IMAX, and I was wiping away tears the entire time. There’s something about beautiful music that can make anybody emotional…even curmudgeons who mask their vulnerabilities in front of most people. 

While being vulnerable is valuable, there’s a difference between crying at a performance and scream-sobbing while recording your emotional reaction for a TikTok video. That is, admittedly, a bit more phony, in my opinion. One Australian Swiftie who couldn’t get tickets for her recent concert went viral for her emotional outburst outside the venue when Taylor Swift performed Exhiles. She claims this song saved her life, hence the emotional reaction. Though I can empathize with her mental health struggles, the viral video of her friends comforting her while holding back laughter is a bit too goofy to take seriously.