The legacy of prank YouTubers and TikTokers has been an endless plunge into degeneracy for western society; a mindless clamor for online clout, clicks and social media followers that don't necessarily translate to dollars or success. The new currency of the digital era is attention and narcissistic affirmation. The new motto: "I am viral, therefore I exist".
This has created a culture of clout at any cost and a complete abandonment of basic morality or shame. The more these content "creators" and "influencers" get away with it, the more they inspire others to mimic their behavior. At least in the case of 27-year-old Charles Smith, a TikToker going by the name Wolfie Kahletti, the attention he gains will be brief and the time he spends in prison will hopefully be long.
Smith faces multiple charges after he allegedly filmed himself spraying poisonous bug killer on produce at an Arizona Walmart Supercenter and then posted the video online. Mesa police said they arrested Smith on Saturday in connection with an incident that happened on Thursday at the Walmart at Stapley Drive and Baseline Road.
NEW: Influencer who filmed himself spraying insect k*ller on Walmart produce, arrested by the Mesa Police Department.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 21, 2024
27-year-old Charles Smith grabbed the pesticide off the shelf without paying for it before filming himself poisoning the produce.
“He then sprayed the pesticide… pic.twitter.com/LPWS9hXVEo
According to police, Smith entered the store with plans to film social media pranks, and he grabbed a can of Hot Shot Ultra Bed Bug and Flea Killer without paying for the item.
Video uploaded to social media, but later deleted, showed Smith spraying the pesticide on various produce items available for purchase, including vegetables, fruit and rotisserie chickens, police said.
A Walmart spokesperson said workers removed the impacted products and cleaned and sanitized the affected area of the store.
The cult of social media pranksters has been met mostly with disdain, but the allure of watching people do stupid things on camera cannot be denied. Much like witnessing a train wreck, it's hard for some viewers to look away. Numerous online pranksters have been arrested in the past few years, all of them end up violating the property and privacy of others, or actually threatening innocent lives.
In some cases, the clout chasers mess with the wrong victims and end up injured or dead. Last year, prank YouTuber Tanner Cook tried to intimidate a delivery driver at a food court in Dulles Town Center in Virginia for a video, only to be shot when the man pulled a concealed pistol.
Cook survived the encounter and the driver, Alan Colie, was later acquitted on charges of aggravated malicious wounding in the shooting after pleading not guilty on the grounds of self defense. No one today cares who Tanner Cook is, they only remember him as the YoutTuber who "F'd around and found out".
