Ignore vitriol, or turn it into content? Creators like Kacie Rose and Drew Afualo share their tips for dealing with a harsh comments section.
When Taylor Swift released the album “The Tortured Poets Department” in April, Kacie Rose, a creator who typically makes upbeat travel content, posted a video of herself listening to one of the songs.
The 15-second clip, which Ms. Rose posted to Instagram, showed her reaction: surprise and elation. She said she wanted to highlight “a cool part of the song,” and didn’t think much more about it.
But over the next few days, her video received a barrage of hateful comments, which attacked everything from her appearance to her mental health. “Reopen mental institutions,” one commenter wrote. “Worst humans to ever exist,” wrote another, apparently referring to her and Ms. Swift. There were predictions that Ms. Rose would be “alone forever” and even commands that she kill herself.
Rude, abusive or hate-filled comments are not new on social media — particularly to women and people of color. For some, it feels as if the online vitriol is only getting worse. Many creators have found that if they want to be successful online, they must accept that such behavior exists and develop strategies to work around it, at times even taking advantage of the hostility to further their brands.
Ms. Rose, whose full name is Kacie Rose Burns, said she didn’t love getting attacked over her Taylor Swift clip, but she also knew that it was the price of reaching such a large audience, which she used to promote her new book, “You Deserve Good Gelato.”
@drewafualo Replying to @JJ J. ♬ original sound – Barstool Sports
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