Snark Culture: When fans love to hate
Methods+Mastery
A team of curious, tenacious, and candid experts who are committed to delivering work that works.
In today’s edition:
Are anti-fans taking over social?
A few months ago, “A Song of Ice and Fire” novelist George R. R. Martin sparked a discussion around “anti-fans:” people who pour effort into actively disliking or disparaging something, especially online.?
While the concept of the “anti-fan” has been around since 2007, we’re seeing it manifest in a new way in 2024. Snark Culture takes the essence of snark–criticism expressed rudely or sarcastically–and directs it specifically at celebrities, influencers, and other people in the spotlight. Popular accounts like Deuxmoi or The Shade Room have become synonymous with snark culture. More anti-fan communities are forming daily–from designated snark pages on Reddit to Discord servers.?
Influencers’ relationships with their audiences have been evolving for some time, but we’re reaching a tipping point. Today, it’s almost impossible to be an internet figure without falling victim to Snark Culture.?
Now internet celebrities face a decision: Is the downside of Snark Culture simply a normal tradeoff for online fame and monetization? Or is it unsustainable for mental health and not worth the visibility that comes with it?
Let’s investigate ??
What we’re seeing #1: Creator vs. creator “conflicts” often start, and usually feed the snark.
When creators clash, fans and anti-fans alike throw in their two cents. These squabbles typically start over something unassuming, but end up spiraling when people start analyzing why creators made certain decisions, leading them to judge the creator’s moral compass.
A good example is the recent drama between creators Tana Mongeau and Brittany Broski, where Tana claimed Brittany had “bluntly” declined to be on her podcast. Redditors initially debated who was in the wrong, but discussions soon escalated into people accusing Brittany of having “internalized misogyny” and Tana of “playing the victim.”?
Even if these instances start with audiences’ criticism, they can pit creators against each other. Take former “Dance Moms” star Jojo Siwa, who faced a similar backlash for allegedly plagiarizing another artist’s song. In a more direct example, creator and podcaster Fannita Legett spoke out about the lack of equity for Black creator opportunities and pay, referencing influencer Alix Earle as a prime example.? But this was not well-received by former fans and other Black creators, who criticized Legett for having insecurities and “misusing” the term “intersectionality.” TikTok videos mentioning “Fannita” soared to 220M views in May 2024 when this occurred (due to other TikTokers making breakdown videos and sharing their opinions) vs 48.5M views in April.
What we’re seeing #2: The biggest reason people turn on influencers is when they stop being “relatable.”
Reddit snark pages accuse many creators of not being as relatable, authentic, or humble as they once were. This is fairly common as an influencer’s lifestyle changes after they hit the mainstream. Once Alix Earle graduated from college, some followers felt she went from being a relatable college student to someone out of touch with her original audience.?
Anti-fans are also constantly scanning for signs that an influencer isn’t behaving in line with their values. Many of Brittany Broksi’s original fans have changed their tune, criticizing her for not being as “liberal” as they thought and “rude” to other women. Despite not knowing? Broski personally, it? doesn’t stop them from accusing her of having a “superiority complex” and “ravenously craving male attention.”?
Creators seem stuck between a rock and a hard place: they’ll be abused online if they change—and if they stay the same.?
What we’re seeing #3: Everyone has a different take on how creators should navigate Snark Culture.?
Some express sympathy for creators who’ve been victims of online criticism, while others think it’s part and parcel of being an influencer and that they need to toughen up.?
In 2023, a content creator made a viral video capturing her and her partner’s “love surge”—a term they've given to a moment when couples are so overcome with affection that they have to embrace one another. The backlash quickly descended into "cruel" and "vicious" attacks towards the couple. The creator told viewers she’d “hit a wall” from all the hate. Some influencers empathized with the creator but also warned that this level of emotional distress in response to criticism on social wasn’t healthy.?
Creators are not immune to online abuse and in fact, it can deeply affect them. Singer and rapper, Taio Cruz, left TikTok within a week due to intense bullying, and other influencers have opened up about similar struggles. Are we ready to accept this as the status quo or can we pave the way for a kinder internet?
What It Means For You & Your Brand
Expect creators to set more boundaries moving forward. As Snark Culture intensifies, we expect to see more creators thinking proactively about ways to avoid backlash from audiences. And if things go south, they may soon look to the brands and platforms they work with for help protecting their mental health.
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Be a good partner to the creators you’re working with. Are there additional or even new ways you can better support your creator partners? While things like counseling, hiatus in contract terms, or even community management support may not be commonplace in brand x creator partnerships yet, it could be the direction we’re headed in.?
Don’t get caught off guard. Just because a creator experiences snark online, doesn’t mean you should avoid them altogether. But it’s important to understand the nuances of said snark, and where it lives, before a campaign goes live. Ensure you’re building this into your creator and influencer vetting process at the start, and stay up to speed on developments via regular monitoring throughout your partnership. You’ll need to cast your research net wider than just the platform the creator uses; remember: some of the biggest snark communities are usually on forums or Reddit.
The Social Scoop
Get up to speed with the biggest stories on social.
Meta adds “Communities” feature to Messenger, expanding the app’s functionality and services. The feature will likely help private groups–including schools and organizations–communicate in a more coordinated and structured way within the app. This expands on Messenger’s Community Chats feature, which enables people to create dedicated spaces without being connected to a specific Facebook group.?
Our take: Meta is clearly looking to expand Messager with more stand-alone capabilities, setting the app up to compete against the bigger private messaging tools and platforms like iMessage, Discord, and Telegram. Removing the barrier of requiring a Facebook account also positions Messenger as a broader social networking tool, and capitalizes on the increasing consumer shift towards private messaging.?
Instagram adds a new prompt option in the comment section of Reels and Feed posts. Users can add a custom prompt at the top of the comments with an “Author Prompt” label. Followers can also now add answers.
Our take: We already knew that the comment section was where all the fun happened, but now Instagram is focused on curating this experience. Remember that prompts (regardless of where they originate) will have a better chance of driving engagement when you incorporate clear open-ended questions and calls-to-action instead of baiting for engagement or comments by asking for reactions, emojis, and tags.
TikTok begins testing “Streaks” in a play to encourage more interaction and engagement between friends. Streaks, which function similarly to the Snapchat streak but in the TikTok Inbox, will be shown in limited markets and select accounts.?
Our take: TikTok hasn’t exactly been struggling for engagement and interaction, with 50M daily active users and 1B monthly active users. This feature has been a status symbol on Snapchat and marks an effort on TikTok’s part to incentivize the younger demographic (Snap’s biggest group). Early responses to this update were well received, as TikTokers posted initial streak runs between friends.
Rodent Hole of the Week
You know us for our internet rabbit holes, but for one week only, we’re digging into a rodent hole instead:
Rodent boyfriend ??
If you’re chronically online like us, you’ve probably heard about the golden retriever boyfriend and the black cat girlfriend. Like many relationship theories, these animal placeholders are a way to name specific character traits from partners. And there’s a new animal boyfriend in town.?
Meet this summer’s hottest accessory: the rodent boyfriend. It’s not often you see “rat” and “hot” in the same sentence, but actors like Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist, Kieran Culkin, and Jeremy Allen White are expanding our definitions of beauty, with comparisons to famous rodents from films like “Stuart Little,” “Flushed Away,” and “Ratatouille.”?
What makes a person a “hot rodent,” you ask? These men tend to have sharp, angular facial features and a svelte frame. But more than that, they represent the opposite of toxic masculinity, opting for public displays of affection and genuine interest in their partners.
So for those fortunate enough to possess mouse and rat-like features, this is your time! Enjoy it before the next hot animal steals the spotlight (and that hunk of cheese).
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