Vinnie Hacker lashes out at “manipulative” fans after TikTok fame

Andrew Amos
Vinnie Hacker posing in a picture

Vinnie Hacker has spoken out about the problems of TikTok stardom, saying some of his fans are “manipulative” and “controlling.” He echoed the sentiment that nobody is perfect, and that people should “live life and learn from it.”

The role models and idols of today appear almost out of nowhere thanks to social media. The medium also leads to a host of those celebrities being quite young.

One of them is Vinnie Hacker. The TikToker has over 5.7 million fans on the platform, as well as 2 million on Instagram. However, life in the limelight has come with its own set of problems. Hacker feels like he’s been forced to live to unreasonable standards put by his fans.

“Why do some people want to control my life. Telling me who I can and can’t talk to. Saying that you’ll only allow me to be with “this person.” Grow up. Don’t be manipulative,” he said in a TikTok.

“You preach against manipulation and then go on and make sure that they live a life that’s satisfying to you and not them. One mistake and a person’s career is over in this area of work.”

“In the eyes of the internet, people are subjected to be role models. And people say to not set unnecessary standards for others, but wouldn’t you think a life without mistakes and growth and perfection is more of a high standard than learning and growing?”

He also said that once you get thrown into the social media machine, you can’t really pull yourself out. Ultimately, these stars live and die by their fans’ judgment.

“Once it gets past that breaking point to where someone becomes relevant, the assumptions come and get dragged along with them. Privacy is invaded and people try to tell them how to live their lives. You end up not being your own person, but the internet’s person.”

These comments come as Hacker takes a break from Twitch streaming to focus on his personal life.

“Taking a break from streaming for quite a while. I don’t really feel to explain. A lot of personal stuff, on top of the unfortunate stuff that happens whilst streaming. Something always goes wrong. I might begin again, I might not,” he said.

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About The Author

Hailing from Perth, Andrew was formerly Dexerto's Australian Managing Editor. They love telling stories across all games and esports, but they have a soft spot for League of Legends and Rainbow Six. Oh, and they're also fascinated by the rise of VTubers.