Tarot and TikTok

Ah, TikTok: the perfect app to open for “just a few minutes” while relieving yourself, only to suddenly find yourself watching the sunset from your bathroom window, wondering where the time went. With its ever-evolving memes, dance trends, and news, it’s no wonder that just about everybody spends a good few hours a week (or a day if we’re being honest with ourselves) on the clock app. TikTok has something for just about everybody, including tarot enthusiasts. There’s no shortage of tarot readers on the app, all eager to tell you what to expect in the coming days and how to act accordingly.

But how can you tell which ones have your best interests at heart?

For decades, tarot readers and psychics have been looked at with an eye of scrutiny, accused of scamming the desperate out of their hard-earned money by telling them lies and leaving them on cliffhangers until they pay extra. These scammers have given genuine psychics and tarot readers a bad name. In my earlier days of offering readings as a service, I jumped through several hoops trying to “prove myself” as one of the real ones before deciding that it just wasn’t worth it. People would either believe me or they wouldn’t. My job isn’t to convince anyone of my credibility, it’s it read my cards and interpret them in ways that make sense to my clients so they can make decisions for themselves with the information I provide. My story is the same as just about every other credible tarot reader on the market, both on and offline.

That being said, platforms like Youtube, Instagram, and of course, TikTok have made it easier than ever to get your name out there as a tarot reader. It’s not uncommon to see some tarot readings with hundreds of thousands of views and almost just as many likes and reposts. But how can a reading that resonates with that many people be specifically “for you,” as many of these readers claim? This is when we need to put our detective hats on and use the one thing very few people on the internet genuinely possess - critical thinking skills.

Red Flags to Look Out For

It can be difficult to determine when a tarot reader you find on the internet is being genuine and when they’re trying to cater to the masses for engagement. Here are a few things to clue you in on when a reader might not be as credible as they claim to be.

1 - Excessive Hashtags

Hashtags are an easy way to get discovered on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. It categorizes your posts into different genres that certain people might frequent. If you see a tarot TikTok that the reader claims to be for you, take a look at the hashtags. You might find several that read along the lines of #tarot #tarotreading #tarotreader #tarottok #tarottiktok #foryou #111 #222 #333 and so on. The more hashtags there are, the bigger reach the video has. While this is great for discoverability, it might not be a reading that found you by some divine intervention.

2 - Excessive Zodiac Signs

Sometimes, I’ll be doing a reading and a card will come up that just screams that the reading is meant for or about a certain sign. Strength might come up in a certain position and that can clue me in that this particular reading is meant for a Leo. If The Star comes out reversed, maybe an Aquarius is having some difficulties and needs some guidance. This can help narrow down the message so the viewer can determine whether or not the reading is truly meant for them.

On the flip side, I’ve seen readers who will list and/or bring up nearly every single sign in one reading. While the cards technically can mention all 12 signs at once, the odds of them doing so and have that reading still be specific enough to apply to you is extremely low.

3 - All Doom and Gloom

This is a classic tactic to get a client to spend more money on you. It’s dirty and underhanded and exploits people at their most vulnerable. I’m going to put my tinfoil hat on for a second and just say the quiet part out loud - your phone is listening to you. If you’re searching for psychiatrists in your area and what antidepressants might be good for you, your phone knows you’re depressed. It’s going to slowly and subtly cater a good amount of your content around your depression so you’ll potentially spend money on things that might make you less depressed. The best online scammers know this and will use this to their advantage, tarot readers included.

Their reading might start out with them pulling a card like The Tower or Death and declare that you’ve been stressed, sad, and experiencing a lot of change and turmoil. Look around you - of course, you have. Everyone has. The world is currently a mess. If they’re not going into more specifics, they’re likely trying to either farm for engagement by preying on your uncertainty in these uncertain times or they’re trying to direct you to their website so you can buy a spell or an additional reading to fix it all.

4 - All Sunshine and Rainbows

On the flip side, be wary of readings and readers that seem to only tell you what you want to hear. One reading where things seems to be going well isn’t a red flag in it of itself (and honestly might just be the breath of fresh air that you need) but it’s important to take a look at some of the other readings that person has done. Do they all seem to have the same vibe? Keep an eye out for any repeating phrases or themes. If every single reading they do involves some form of a crush thinking about you or an ex having regrets, maybe scroll away.

5 - They Don’t Shuffle Onscreen

I’m always skeptical of TikTok readers that don’t show how they pick the cards. When I’m reading for TikTok, I always make sure that my shuffling is done during the video in a way that is clearly visible. When a reader just takes the first few cards off the top of the deck, look at that with an eye of scrutiny. There’s nothing proving that they didn’t just hand pick those cards and put them on top.

6 - They Ignore the Actual Meanings of the Cards

Yes, every card has near infinite interpretations and no two readings are going to be exactly alike. That being said, each card does have a meaning. That’s simply how reading tarot works. If a reader pulls the Three of Swords, a card clearly depicting a broken and stabbed heart, and says that your crush likes you back, they might just be trying to give you what you want to hear.

There are so many more red flags I could list, but hopefully, you get the idea by now. Just remember to look at every reading you come across with a critical eye. At the end of the day, you’ll likely find a perfectly legitimate reader with a message that simply doesn’t resonate with you - that’s a good thing. That shows that their readings don’t cater to everybody who comes across them and the one that is meant for you may find you in the future. Stay vigilant, stay curious, stay witchy.