How do you become internet famous? What makes you so likable to the public eye that millions of people view and like your posts? On November 27th, Anita, a user on TikTok posted a video stating, “ Imagine if we all just started ignoring celebrities…how hilarious would it be if they posted and got like 13 likes”. The video got over 50 million views, spreading worldwide across the stream. Although it seemed like something people were making up, they finally took action. The first TikTok celebrity to get ignored was JoJo Siwa. Everyday users can go viral , changing their lives forever. While many who can’t seem to wrap their head around the concept of how people go viral, they are the ones who make it possible for a person to blow up overnight. It is random people in the media who create these internet sensations, pay their bills, and boost their fame. If the users were controlling how many views, likes, and promos they got, couldn’t they choose also not to engage? Not engaging in content can cause an internet celebrity to fall off, and lose sponsorships, and money. That is exactly the social experiment the users of TikTok are trying to test. Even though Jojo Siwa had previous fame due to the lifetime show ‘Dance Moms’, she has shifted her main focus to singing, which is heavily promoted on TikTok. Collectively, the community decided to stop liking her post and started unfollowing her. One of her videos received over 15 million views but only got 20,000 likes. Many were flabbergasted in the comments saying things like, “GUYS STICK TO THE PLAN” and “IT’S WORKING”. Despite many trying hard to ignore Jojo Siwa, she was still receiving views and comments. Users are also looking for another scheme of action, to see who they could possibly target next. Some asked “Who’s next” or even suggested “Make small creators randomly famous for no reason” instead. As if the timing wasn’t perfect enough, Jojo posted a TikTok about receiving an email from a company that claimed she was breaching her NDA during this time because of copyright. They threatened her with termination if she posted on TikTok past December 1st, as she had already breached her NDA previously. This spiraled the TikTok community because while she was violating her agreement, she was getting ignored, receiving absolutely nothing from posting. The situation surrounding Jojo emphasized how desperate she was for the likes and views, and further showing that users were the ones she was relying on. Perhaps Jojo was not fully ignored, but millions of people still made an effort to become unengaged with her and other internet celebrities, even after she continued to post after her first warning of a breach. Who’s to know if this will continue and what will happen after she returns from her ban. Will users continue to carry on ignoring her or will they return back to liking her content?
