drama and cancel culture

BCM241 AUTOETHNOGRAPHY DA

The last part of my research is focused on the drama that comes along with online veganism, and more specifically on the impact it has on influencers. With an influencers public decision regarding veganism comes a very public response. This can be in the form of a response or commentary video, comments, tweets and posts. Through this I aim to understand the effect that cancel culture has on social media influencers today.

Through observation, I was able to acknowledge that the response that influencers receive in regards to beginning or quitting veganism varies significantly, in both a positive and negative way, and these reactions can have a major impact on their careers.

Stella Rae and Yovana Mendoza are two ex vegan YouTubers who experienced an extremely negative backlash once they admitted they were no longer vegan. The comments under both of their videos were full of accusations of using the diet for views and fame, remarks about how disappointed their fans were of them and claims that they were unethical and deceitful. Many response videos by other vegans were made about them, including the one by Tofu Goddess who called Stella “egotistical” and said that she quit veganism for “no real reason.”

Once I did further research, I discovered why Stella’s fans were so angry. She had been lying about being vegan for over a year. She was still posting videos about her vegan diet, promoting the lifestyle and even selling vegan merchandise. Yovanna found herself in a similar situation when a video was posted of her trying to hide the fish that was on her plate. She finally admitted that she had been eating eggs and fish for two months while pretending that she was thriving off a vegan diet.

The effect of cancel culture is clear within these scenarios. Both Stella and Yovana admitted to be scared of ruining the brand they had created off of veganism and of the negative reaction of their fans, with Stella claiming that she hid it for so long because of “fear of judgement and seeing the backlash others received.” From an auto ethnographic approach, I am able to say that Stella’s action did cause her to lose many fans, including myself. Her videos were the reason I became vegan so once she no longer made vegan content, I unsubscribed.

Comparatively, I was surprised to discover that most response videos and comments about the majority of ex vegan YouTubers were sympathetic and factual. My field notes can conclude that this happens when there is no deceit involved. Some influencers just wanted to give it a go and it didn’t work out for them, so they are honest with their fans and in turn their fans are understanding. YouTubers such as Christie Swadling received positive feedback from her fans, both vegan and non vegan. They appreciated her honesty and wisher her the best in her future dietary decisions. Additionally, Tiffany Ferguson is an example of a vegan commentary YouTuber who makes educational and supportive response videos that aim to help these influencers remain healthy. Some may choose to “cancel” these YouTubers, but for the most part transparency has protected them from that culture.

Sometimes, YouTubers are able to use drama and cancel culture as a way to gain more fame. The unreliable and humorous nature of both Trisha Paytas’ and Nickocado Avocado’s veganism has encouraged a lot of negative comments and videos. Their comment sections are full of words such as “offensive”, “rude” and “shameful” and many response videos have been made about their diet. FreeLee the Banana girl is mostly well known for her brutal response videos, referring to Trisha’s and Nick’s diets as “disgusting” and calling them out for their dishonest ways. However, Nick has over 2 million subscribers and Trish has over 4 million, both of them gaining hundreds and thousands of views every video. This is an example of how it is possible to monopolize cancel culture and use the drama to gain more attention and thus more money.

In conclusion, veganism has proven to be an extremely risky area of the internet. Cancel culture is a significant part of social media and my research and autoethnographic reflection has proven that the severity of drama that follows a YouTuber’s decision to quit has a significant impact on their career, but can vary dramatically depending on their level of honesty and consideration.

why do influencers quit veganism?

BCM241 AUTOETHNOGRAPHY DA

The second part of my research is focused on the reasons behind an influencers decision to quit veganism and the drama that comes along with it. By looking back on the field notes I created throughout this auto ethnographic process, it was clear that there were a few overarching reasons I had noted down.

Veganism had taken over their identity
Lack of commitment or desire for attention
Health issues

Being an online persona will thousands of fans analysing every aspect of your personality would be extremely difficult. It is obvious that many of these influencers struggle with identity issues and being able to express who they truly are to the world. Through my research it became evident that many vegan YouTubers had quit the diet because they were losing themselves in the culture. Ex vegan YouTuber Raw Alignment (Alyse Parker) stated that veganism made her see food through a “tunnel vision” and that she made veganism the most important part of her personality. Similarly, Stella Rae stated that she became “obsessed” with the diet and felt guilty for craving animal products. Thus, many YouTubers quit veganism because they felt as if it was consuming their brand and lives.

The lack of commitment or desire for the attention they will receive from announcing they are no longer vegan is another current trend I acknowledged. As I touched on in my previous blog, Trisha Paytas and Nickocado Avocado are well known for using veganism as a trend and a way to gain viewers. Of course they are not going to be able to maintain the diet when they are not seriously committed and doing it for the right reasons. From observing comment sections and her YouTube videos, it seems as if Tana Mongeau among other YouTubers, was unable to maintain the diet because they just perceived it as a relevant trend to follow. Many of these influencers struggled with and eventually quit veganism because they did not do any research and were therefore not eating properly.

A massive reason behind influencers quitting veganism is because of health related issues. Sarah’s Day followed a raw vegan diet for 6 months before stopping due to constant sick ness and lethargy, losing body mass and discovering her allergy to soy. Similarly, Yovana Mendoza (previously known as Rawvana) quit veganism after 6 years after being diagnosed with SIBO and Raw Alignment claimed that veganism had caused her to experience brain fog and memory loss. By noting down these reasons in my field notes it was evident that these influencers quit veganism because they claimed that animal products immediately made them feel better.

Thus, my research has allowed me to gain a greater understanding of the unique circumstances in which influencers decide to quit veganism. I am able to conclude that these reasons are not all selfish and fame driven, but that these influencers are just humans too. These explanations do not point to one specific motive, but are rooted within many contexts, both respectable and insincere.

References:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324475#outlook

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzLQ_5hu5fuVSEHkMGEq7Vg

https://www.youtube.com/user/vlogmakeupbeauty

https://www.youtube.com/user/blndsundoll4mj

https://www.youtube.com/user/NikocadoAvocado

https://www.youtube.com/user/sarahsdayvideos

https://www.youtube.com/user/rawvanaeng

why do influencers go vegan?

BCM241 AUTOETHNOGRAPHY DA

First and foremost, I wanted to have a closer look at why influencers decide to go vegan in the first place.

Through observation I was able to acknowledge the most prominent reasons behind their decision to follow a vegan diet. By watching videos, reading comments on posts and examining accounts and analysing the way in which influencers and fans interact with each other, it became obvious that there were 3 main reasons (besides just wanting to give it a good ol’ go:

To gain attention and views
Following trends
Health concerns

Two of the most prominent personas within this research were Trisha Paytas and Nickocado Avocado, both YouTubers. They seem to be a very common topic of discussion within vegan forums and accounts, but not because of their inspirational role within the vegan community. Quite the opposite in fact. They have both been accused of using veganism to increase views and create drama in order to gain attention. Just by observing their channels, it is obvious that they treat veganism as a disposable term that they can use to create controversy and therefore gain fame.

Over the years, Trisha Paytas has claimed to be vegan, only to be exposed for lying or to quit soon after. She has done this on multiple separate occasions. She has also titled videos of her eating animal products as ‘vegan mukbang’, and filmed herself eating meat while wearing a ‘VEGAN’ shirt. Through my observation I was able to recognise that these videos did give her a lot of attention, albeit the negative kind, but attention nonetheless. Although they gained hundreds of thousands of views and earned her over 4 million subscribers, it was obvious that vegans, fans and random individuals had gone out of their way to call out her dishonest ways.

Similarly, Nickocado Avocado has also used this technique. He is known for constantly promising to go vegan, only to post mukbangs of him eating Mcdonalds and pizza the next day. This draws in his fans, the vegan community and those who are entertained or angered by his actions, therefore giving him the attention and that he desires.

Although it is very humorous, it is actually a prime example of the way in which influencers decide to go vegan as a way of becoming relevant within the media. These particular influencers proved my assumption regarding the use of veganism to gain attention and views.

Additionally, I discovered that keeping up with current trends is another main reason behind an influencers decision to go vegan. Through my observation, it became apparent that many YouTubers claimed that the emergence of a “raw food” and “high carb low fat” trend on social media influenced their change in diet. An ex vegan YouTuber, Bonny Rebecca, claimed that she chose to be vegan because “everyone was doing it, everyone was talking about it, a lot of YouTubers were promoting it” and that she “just got swept up in it.” This is just one significant example, but testifies to the many influencers who decided to go vegan to be apart of the current trends and therefore be relatable to more people.

Furthermore, health concerns, both heathy and unhealthy, were also one of the most prominent reasons why influencers went vegan. Stella Rae admitted that she had been dealing with an eating disorder before turning vegan, using the diet as an excuse to eat cleaner and have control over what she ate. She stated that her struggle with eating was disguised as a vegan diet to her friends, family and viewers. Similarly, Alyse Parker had dealt with binge eating and resorted to veganism as an attempt to control her diet.

Through this observational research I was able to determine these 3 reasons behind influencers going vegan. Through this, we will be able to analyse the relationship between their decision to quit the diet and the drama that follows it.

References:

What happened to Nikocado Avocado on Youtube? from vegan

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOu3SAozsyQyKE2wDAIJtdQ

https://www.google.com/search?q=bonny+rebecca+vegan&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjQva7Cm-jsAhX1nEsFHWPtB-UQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=bonny+rebecca+vegan&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECAAQGDoCCAA6BAgAEB5QvRhYkh1gkSBoAHAAeACAAdgBiAGGCJIBBTAuNC4ymAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=4UOiX5DJLvW5rtoP49qfqA4&bih=618&biw=1046#imgrc=H-9sa8LxlW8lGM

veganism and the internet

BCM241 AUTOETHNOGRAPHY DA

Being a vegan myself, I am extremely interested in veganism and its role within the media. My research will analyse its online prevalence and investigate the intricacies of influencers and cancel culture in relation to this lifestyle.

When people ask me how long I have been vegan, they are surprised when my answer is 5 years. I believe this is because of the disposable way in which it is treated and perceived as online.

When people ask me why I decided to go vegan, they are surprised when I don’t go on a massive angry rant, but instead almost burst into tears, say “I don’t know” and then immediately change the subject.

They are surprised when they find out I am vegan in the first place, as I don’t seem to aggressively shove it down people throat like some vegan individuals and influencers do… ThatVeganTeacher. This article here is a great explanation of the impacts.

Obviously, there are more important issues in the world. But I do assume I am going to be judged or doubted, and I believe this is because of the way some vegan influencers portray themselves online. It seems as if it is not taken seriously due to it being used as a fad or for attention by various influencers who end up quitting it in the end.

But, the truth is, I do believe that veganism is important and essential for a sustainable and secure future.

Media and its influencers are such a significant part of our everyday and therefore hold great power over the way we think, act and make decisions. I believe the way some aspects of veganism are portrayed online prevent factual, helpful information from becoming easily accessible and understood. But, it goes both ways. The backlash that influencers receive from the online community regarding their diet and lifestyle further promotes a skewed version of veganism and helps cancel culture secure a permanent spot within social media.

Through my autoethnographic study I will be researching this phenomenon in order to better understand why influencers go vegan, why some stop, the impact of drama, and the effectiveness of cancel culture. I will incorporate several qualitative methods such as field notes, observation and network mapping to evaluate the prominence of this experience and draw conclusions about its relevance and meaning.

Here is a broad overview of what I predict to discover:

Some influencers become vegan because it was/is a popular social media trend
Some influencers stop following a vegan diet because they were never fully committed or desire the attention they may gain from quitting
Drama and response videos/posts will cause fans to be upset and for influencers to lose support
Cancel culture is extremely effective and may prevent influencers from being authentic

I have created a network map of relevant actors within this media niche, to help me kick off this research!

Through this I was able to determine that both influencers and fans hold great amounts of power over one another. Without each other, they would not have anything. This allows me to begin my research from a clear perspective, allowing me to highlight the importance of these connections and the relevancy of this discovery.

References:

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSQoVxUf/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancel_culture#:~:text=The%20notion%20of%20cancel%20culture,a%20questionable%20or%20controversial%20manner.