Here's how a TikToker tricked loads of people into thinking the Mona Lisa was stolen
- A TikToker's prank video about the Mona Lisa being stolen went viral this week.
- There is no indication the painting was actually robbed, but many people are concerned about it.
A TikToker's joke video tricked loads of users into thinking the famous Mona Lisa painting was stolen, bringing attention to the way users are increasingly treating the entertainment platform as a news source.
The video, posted earlier this week, showed a stream of ambulances and police cars with their sirens on. "POV: your [sic] in Paris when the Mona Lisa has been stolen," the on-screen text read. However, the caption included a "Minions" joke: "Grus been at it again!!"
The video amassed seven million views and 1.7 million likes in just three days, with many concerned viewers who appeared to believe that the artwork was actually taken from the Louvre.
"I DIDNT SEE TIKTOK FOR 2 HOURS AND THE MONA LISA GOT STOLEN!?!?," one of the panicked comments read, garnering over 218,000 likes.
Instead of clarifying their joke, TikToker @Narvanator made an update video to continue to troll.
"My friends and I went to the Louvre today to go check out and see what the situation is, and she's gone; the Mona Lisa is gone." the creator said in a video posted on Monday.
In the last few days, numerous TikTokers have made videos referencing the false claim that the Mona Lisa is missing, and it's unclear who is in on the joke and who earnestly believes it. However, it reached mass curiosity when a major TikTok creator posted about it this week.
"Who tf stole the Mona Lisa lol," wrote Hope Schwing, a TikToker who has almost 10 million followers, on Monday. People in her comment section quickly responded, telling her and others that the original TikTok was all a ruse.
Insider has reached out to @Narvanator.
Most people are having fun with it all. "It is said she will be auctioned-off to an ultra rich from the USA, guess who?" one TikTok said, garnering over 80,000 views.
A travel influencer shared a joke video of himself standing outside a fountain talking on the phone, and he claimed he had received a call that the Mona Lisa was stolen and taken somewhere in Rome "Good day to be an art collector," he quipped.
There have been no reports that the Mona Lisa painting was stolen this week. Insider has also reached out to the Louvre for comment.
But it's perhaps more noteworthy that a simple TikTok convinced swaths of people that it could be true, as more and more people are treating TikTok as their main source for news and information. During inescapable news cycles in 2022, like Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp defamation trial, many people turned to TikTok for frequent news updates and commentary.
"In our studies, something like almost 40 percent of young people, when they're looking for a place for lunch, they don't go to Google Maps or Search. They go to TikTok or Instagram," Prabhakar Raghavan, a Google senior vice president, said at a technology conference in July.