Apologise like a social media star
The bigger they are, the harder they fall, and the more hilariously they try to adjust. Sooner or later, they all end up saying sorry. See how:
Dismiss, defend or deny
In May, TikTok star Faizal Siddiqui received widespread flak for a video that seemed to normalise acid attacks. Then he made things worse. His statement, issued on Instagram, claimed the video was misread — the liquid he was throwing on a woman was water, not acid. His account remains suspended. Makeup YouTuber Jaclyn Hill lost more than fans. When it turned out that her new line of lipsticks had hair and mould on them, she denied the claims, attacking reviewers online. The complaints just got louder, sales dropped, causing her to delete all of her social media.
Apologise badly
Hill finally filmed an apology video, blaming factory workers. Later, she called it the greatest mistake of her career. Another awful apologiser? Beauty influencer James Charles. Accused of being racist, transphobic and unprofessional by a fellow influencer in 2019 (causing him to lose 3 million subscribers), Charles responded with a video. Dressed down, fake-crying, it pissed off his remaining subscribers. He deleted it, posting a 41-minute contrition a week later.
Explain your explainer
Internet fans want to know how their outrage has affected their idol. Consider the video put out by Indian TikToker Carry-Minati in May. The account, run by Ajey Nagar, posted a TikTok vs YouTube video that went viral, but was disabled after the content was found to contain homophobic slurs. Nagar urged followers not to jump to conclusions, as he had received official word on why his account was pulled down. The theatrics worked. He regained views and followers.
Bring out the ugly crying
Dim lighting, ratty sweats, messy hair, tears. Apology videos are so common that, at the 2019 VidCon (an annual gathering of social media creators), a child dressed up as one — a giant YouTube screen hanging from his neck, and a box of tissues alongside.
Lessons in humility?
James Charles now hosts a competition show called Instant Influencer on YouTube, training enthusiasts for social-media stardom. One challenge he sets is to make a successful apology video.
“Take this from me because I’ve had to deal with this,” Charles warns. So if the next few apologies sound templated, you know where they’ve come from.