What Does Having the Hype on TikTok Entail?
On the popular social media platform, TikTok, there has been something called “hype” going around. When the “hype” first started becoming popular, having it meant gaining followers crazy quickly. Essentially the “hype” is given to the TikToker, who is currently the most favored and prominent on the app. Although having the “hype” can open up many opportunities, it also comes with massive hate and backlash for the person that obtains it.
The term “hype” first became relevant when the famous influencer, Charli D’amelio joined the platform. Although Charli is technically the most popular influencer currently, there are and have been other popular influencers on TikTok. Some of these popular influencers include Charli’s sister Dixie D’amelio and Loren Gray.
Popular TikTokers face a significant amount of hate. Many of these hate comments include body shaming, name-calling, and overall terrible remarks towards them. People continuously attack Charli for being average or not good enough to have so much “hype.” Charli, Dixie, and Loren are just teenage girls trying to have fun sharing videos on an “innocent” social media app. Instead, they have been torn down by numerous people for merely being themselves.
In an interview with People Exclusive, Charli exclaimed, “It’s important to know that your words can hurt people.” Charli wants to stop normalizing cyberbullying and open up about how she copes and deals with the hate she receives online. Charli has been getting outrageous comments and has addressed them numerous times. Sisters, Charli and Dixie, spoke on their experiences with cyberbullying. They mostly discussed the amount of body shaming they receive. Charli says people obsess over her gaining weight, and Dixie exclaims people obsess that she is too skinny and needs to eat more. Both of them have concluded that this is now their reality since they are popular creators. Charli especially emphasizes that hate hurts no matter who you are: to put in perspective, she is only a 16-year-old girl. Dixie and Charli had already struggled with their body image and habits; now, people are just pointing out their biggest insecurities.
Charli and Dixie are not the only ones who have dealt with this social media toxicity. Loren Gray, the second most followed person on TikTik, also has a story. When Loren first started to gain fame and attention on Musically, the former name of TikTok, her friends’ jealousy overcame them. They quickly turned their backs on Loren and made fake accounts to hate on her. People on the internet even started to threaten Loren and her safety. Her fear and the state of her mental health forced her to drop out of school. She gets much hate regarding that she has no talent and has had plastic surgery. Once Loren moved to LA, her mental health began to improve and she finally is thriving. She now preaches to her fans to always be nice. In a video, she stated that her favorite thing to say is “…that everyone no matter how they look or who they are they have a heart and they have feelings just like you.” Of course, being one of the most popular creators on TikTok, she still receives a significant amount of hate, but she has grown.
These young TikTok female influencers face constant bashing and continuous body shaming. This cyberbullying should not be social media normality. Popularity could cause so much hate because of jealousy or other factors. Every move of these popular influencers are being watched, it is almost as if they do not have the option of making mistakes without being heavily criticized. These girls are great influencers to younger people on how to deal with hate. They have turned their hate into their gain and educated the public about their experiences and coping mechanisms. All of these girls have shown that even though people are constantly going to criticize you, stay true to yourself and always be kind to others no matter what.
Sources:
https://people.com/tv/charli-damelio-dealing-internet-hate/
https://www.insider.com/charli-dixie-damelio-tik-tok-biggest-stars-cyberbullying-video-2020-2
