Have you ever heard of a cyber wrecker? Cyber wrecker is a combination of cyber and wrecker (meaning tow truck) and it refers to people who instantly post videos online to get many views whenever an issue arises. It is not exactly known when the phrase was first used, but it was only in 2020 that it became widespread. There are now many cyber wreckers on YouTube.

Their goal is solely to make money by generating a high number of views. Since a video has to stand out to attract a great number of views, cyber wreckers use titles and content that will arouse people's curiosity. They use provocative, weird titles and photos to get more views. They often use words such as shockism, a big twist, and controversy in titles, and the thumbnails of videos spark people's curiosity by mosaicking the main character in the video. In addition, most cyber wreckers do not produce content themselves but simply report information that is already available because they can only get more views when they upload videos faster than others.

The biggest problem is that most of the videos contain false information. To quickly draw attention, most of the content is not supported with facts or is completely different from the truth, i.e., they distort the truth and disseminate misleading information. There may be people who don't believe cyber wreckers, but, sadly, quite a few people accept the contents of such videos as facts. Finally, rumors spread, becoming widely believed. Even if a person affected by slander tries to file a complaint, it is not easy to punish cyber wreckers because they work anonymously.

Cyber wreckers mainly produce videos about socially influential people such as politicians and celebrities. Recently, one YouTube channel posted a video claiming that Asada Mao, a former Japanese figure skater, had died in Seoul. This rumor spread widely on social media. However, it was found to be untrue, becoming a big controversy. The same channel had previously posted false videos, such as one on Angelina Jolie's car accident in Seoul, and Tom Cruise's unconsciousness while filming a movie in Korea. However, controversy benefits cyber wreckers because people are attracted to controversial content. Consequently, the number of times such videos are viewed increases, meaning more money is earned. Issues and controversies are just money-makers for them.

What cyber wreckers have in common is that they fail to consider other people's feelings, positions, or moral values. Although some people have ended their lives due to malicious cyber wreckers’ videos and comments, cyber wreckers’ atrocities continue. They benefit by driving others to pain and even death. For them, conflict and hatred are a means to profit. They disregard moral values. Only the victims suffer.

We should be active viewers, not passive viewers. We should be able to tell what is true and what is false. If we can distinguish right information from wrong, we can prevent cyber wreckers from gaining popularity and fake news from spreading. It is time for us to become active consumers.