TikTok Ged turns to God
TikTok influencer Ged Armstrong was living the social media dream.
He’d learnt how to make money on brand deals for content creation and, within two years, the Northern Ireland 26-year-old was jetting across the world with Red Bull and had a penthouse apartment in the country’s tallest building.
It’s the epitome of an online rags-to-riches story.
“I came from a background where you’d have to steal food just to have breakfast. I’d been homeless and sofa surfing aged 19,” Ged told Premier Christianity.
“I used to be very unpopular in school and was bullied quite a lot. I didn’t have a lot of friends. But very quickly I was in a position where everyone wanted to know me.
“I’ve always been a content creator and I’ve always loved telling stories. The first time I went viral it was accidental. But over time I grew a more engaged audience on TikTok.”
The flashy apartment offered stunning views, but when he looked inside himself, it revealed a void.
“I was living in a penthouse, but I’d be crying in bed, thinking: ‘What is the meaning of all this? What is all this attention for? I’m not doing anything good with it’.”
Social media success was exposed as superficial.
“I started to experience this micro-celebrity status in Belfast. I’d be in a club on a Saturday night and hundreds of people would be asking me for photos.
“When you start being Mr Popular, it rewires your brain and changes how you perceive people."
… story continues
