Any active social media user understands just how powerful influencers have become, especially on TikTok. The app has become a way for some people to make a living and for others to just keep posting, hoping their videos will gain traction.
Many people, myself included, have witnessed this phenomenon happen firsthand. An account can blow up overnight, transforming a creator who makes videos with barely any views into an internet sensation with millions of followers.
Influencers shape trends across almost every area, from lifestyle and food to fitness and exercise. It seems like almost everyone active on social media has that one influencer they absolutely adore and look up to. However, this constant exposure creates something more than just admiration.
Repeatedly watching an influencer’s videos or keeping up with their lives creates a one-sided connection that may feel special, but this is often taken to extremes. Oftentimes, it can lead to parasocial relationships between viewers and their favorite influencers.
A recent example that highlights this issue regards fashion TikTok sensation Demetra Dias. She began posting outfit videos on TikTok and went viral in 2023 for her distinctive sense of style. Since then, she has amassed 4.5 million followers.
She’s the embodiment of everything a girl my age wants to be: she is fashionable, athletic and always appears as a sweet and positive person.
But, having a following like Demetra’s also means dealing with extremely parasocial fans. Around February, Demetra’s comments began flooding with rumors about her allegedly cheating on her boyfriend at her college, causing people to speculate if they had broken up completely.
With these accusatory comments, pictures being posted of her with other people from her college and many people also flooding her boyfriend’s comments, Demetra revealed that she and her boyfriend had indeed broken up, but she did not cheat on him.
Still, this did not stop the rumors, and her comment section is currently filled with accusations and speculation about her relationships.
Regardless of the personal decisions Demetra has made in her own relationships, the obsession with knowing her private life and intimate details speaks to a much wider issue than her breakup.
Fans should not be allowed to pick apart every little detail or piece of information about an influencer’s life, especially when it is based on rumors circulating and no confirmed information.
Even if Demetra and her ex-boyfriend posted cute, relatable couples content together, it does not give viewers the right to comment on the state of their relationship or act as though they know what is going on in their personal lives.
Demetra is a young girl who posts about what she loves most: fashion and the gym. While it is certainly normal and expected for fans to be enthralled with her and look up to her, regurgitating and spreading falsehoods like these can be harmful, especially to her mental health.
This can be said for so many influencers, especially in a day and age where drama accounts and “snark” pages are so popular, even though they are simply made to tear people down (some who never even meant to make their accounts go viral).
As long as social media influencers exist, parasocial relationships will too. It is up to influencers to set boundaries with their fans, and for fans not to push those boundaries, remembering that their favorite influencers are humans, too.