Tagged is a short film about a group of three friends, Kate, Em and Raz. The leader of the group is Kate and she starts a rumour about her ex, Jack, and his new girlfriend, Chloe. They post a picture on a social media site of Chloe with her arm around another boy because Kate wants to get revenge for Chloe stealing her boyfriend. At school a few days later, everyone knows about the new scandal of Chloe supposedly cheating on Jack. Jack attacks the boy in the photo and the other boy knocks him to the ground. One thing leads to another and eventually the rumour spirals out of control.
Rumours that start out as revenge or a bit of fun quickly spread on social media. This film made me think about how rumours evolve as they jump from person to person. For example, the situation starts with an arm over a shoulder of two friends. When the photo is posted on the internet it soon becomes a “sneaky relationship ?. Kate feeds the fire by adding this text along with the photo: “Guess who? These star crossed lovers must keep their passion secret. But who knows what will happen after the bell rings? ? During the school day the rumour escalates.
Girls in the bathroom gossip by saying, “Chloe’s shagging Ben, ? and “I heard he had his hand up her skirt. ? Rumours are often used to create fantasies or to involve oneself in something that has nothing to do with you. This can be seen throughout the film, as everyone wants to be part of this “hot gossip. ? Rumours can be fun and exciting, but when people’s feelings get hurt and their reputation is ruined, that is when you know that it has gone too far. My experience of rumours is minimal as I go to a school where people are friendly, accepting and respectful of others.
At my school, there is no tolerance for any form of bullying. The teachers and even the students stamp out any rumours or bad behaviour quickly. Another idea this film made me think about is what it takes for a person to stand up against bullying and rumours. Raz stands up against Kate and her lying because she does not want Jack to be hurt anymore, or get himself in to trouble again. Raz informs Jack it was Kate who posted the image on the blog and Jack in return sends around revealing photos of Kate as payback.
When Kate confronts Raz, Raz says, “You should have told Jack yourself, it wasn’t fair. This is brave of Raz as Kate is her best friend and she does not want to lose her, but to protect others she has to be selfless and risk losing her friend. Em wants to take a stand but does not want to be the next target of Kate and goes with the flow to fit in. Although she agrees with Raz about taking the photos down, she backs off and does nothing. Standing up against bullying can be so hard, especially if your friend has more power than you do. People like Kate have the ability to quickly turn rumours around on others.
Rumours can burst people’s confidence, ruin their day or their future. Some people think it is just a laugh. However, to those affected by the rumour, it is much more. Being a teenager at high school, I know very well how people like to start rumours. School can be boring at times, so rumours are often created to stir things up and make life more interesting. There are better ways to have fun than spreading rumours via the internet, with the intention of hurting others. Posted rumours are open for everyone to see and can haunt you for a long time after school.
