- “The Tinder Swindler” is a Netflix documentary about convicted fraudster Simon Leviev.
- Leviev and his accusers within the documentary have all develop into the themes of memes and mocked on-line.
- Consultants say these jokes characterize a broader tradition of utilizing humor to deal with severe occasions.
When
Netflix
‘s “The Tinder Swindler” was launched on February 2, 2022, it was an instantaneous hit.
The documentary advised the story of three ladies who stated a person named Simon Leviev scammed them out of tons of of hundreds of {dollars}, which Leviev has denied. It shortly grew to become Netflix’s hottest film of the month, in response to the streaming service, which says it has been watched for 110 million hours up to now.
The present sparked a wave of social media dialogue, however the on-line dialog shortly devolved right into a collection of memes, with folks throughout platforms utilizing the story to make jokes and mock Leviev and his accusers.
On TikTok, the tag #tinderswindler has 125 million views, and a pattern has emerged of individuals shaking their heads to a canopy of “Loopy” by Gnarls Barkley with a caption that reads, “When my billionaire BF requested me to take out a mortgage so he may struggle his enemies and I did.”
On Twitter, the phrases that the ladies within the documentary say Leviev used to persuade them he wanted cash — corresponding to “my enemies are after me” — have been joked about and used as a well-liked caption alongside a photograph of Leviev on a airplane.
—Justin (@JayT234) February 5, 2022
Leviev was arrested and convicted in Finland in 2015 on prices of defrauding a number of ladies and was sentenced to fifteen months in jail in Israel after fleeing the nation to keep away from prices of theft, forgery, and fraud in 2011 and 2017. He was launched after 5 months. Leviev has denied the claims made within the Netflix documentary and didn’t instantly reply to Insider’s request for remark.
Insider spoke to specialists to seek out out why “The Tinder Swindler” captured the eye — and amusement — of the web.
Tales about fraud are having a second in widespread tradition
James Cohen, assistant professor in media research at Queens School, which is a part of the Metropolis College of New York, advised Insider that Netflix has created an internet “tradition” by releasing a number of documentaries about alleged con artists inside the house of two months, together with “Inventing Anna,” and “The Puppet Grasp,” alongside “The Tinder Swindler.”
—FUM (@Edirined) February 12, 2022
Erhan Aslan, a lecturer in media linguistics on the College of Studying, advised Insider that tales about fraud develop into so widespread as a result of they resonate with “superiority theories of humor,” which is when the misfortunes of 1 individual develop into a “laughing matter” for people who find themselves not experiencing the identical factor.
Memes that seem to make gentle of the way in which Leviev allegedly defrauded the ladies within the documentary are corresponding to if you giggle at somebody falling over even “although the falling could possibly be hurtful for that individual,” Aslan defined.
Memes can perform as a type of escapism
Bradley Wiggins, the division head of media communications at Webster Vienna Personal College, advised Insider that generally, folks simply “do not need to deal with severe subjects severely,” and he linked such attitudes particularly to the pandemic.
Since so many lives had been affected by COVID-19, Wiggins stated that memes have been used as a type of escapism, a “strain valve, letting off steam earlier than getting again to the seriousness of 1’s personal life.”
—David Beshay (@BeshayDavid) February 11, 2022
TikToker Giuliana Ava, who obtained 700,000 views on a video utilizing the “Loopy” pattern, advised Insider that she thinks fraudsters make for the right meme as a result of they permit folks to make gentle of one thing severe.
Within the occasion of Leviev, she stated, “You may’t assist however giggle at his desperation to dwell a way of life he cannot afford while hating him for ruining harmless folks’s lives.”
Finally, nobody needs to think about they may fall for a rip-off
Many “Tinder Swindler” memes, together with movies from the “Loopy” TikTok pattern, appear to mock the three ladies within the documentary.
Beth Walkemayer, who joined the pattern by posting a video that has 8 million views, advised Insider she made the TikTok to spark dialogue in regards to the documentary, however was “shocked” to see folks reacting to it with humor reasonably than by “addressing how severe the scenario is.” Walkemayer stated she was “unhappy” to see folks judging the ladies for changing into concerned with Leviev.
Many feedback on Walkemayer’s put up and comparable movies are from ladies who declare that they’d by no means have develop into victims of fraud.
“I’d have advised him he is in my ideas and prayers,” one prime remark with 22,000 likes stated. One other stated, “I will not even mortgage folks $100, not to mention 100K.”
These responses to the documentary can showcase a “sadism” at seeing the con occur, paired with “an excellent stronger want to see justice,” Cohen stated.
Cohen additionally steered that memes which are crucial of the ladies come from individuals who “imagine they’d by no means be swindled.” These people joke in regards to the misfortune of the three ladies and say it may by no means occur to them as a option to really feel safer despite the fact that “deep down, they may understand it may simply as effectively be them,” Cohen stated.
For extra tales like this, try protection from Insider’s Digital Tradition staff right here.