TikTok star Vinnie Hacker has responded to backlash from fans after he posted a TikTok saying he was “lonely” after the US election results were announced – but his response to the situation has seemed to rile up fans more.
Hacker is a growing star on the TikTok scene – he has 4.3 million followers on his main TikTok account as well as 1.4 million followers on his Instagram.
Known mostly for his lip-sync videos on TikTok, he has also gained a following by being part of content house Sway Gaming – which is a spin-off from notorious content house the Sway House. Other big names in Sway Gaming include Griffin Johnson, Quinton Griggs and Kio Cyr.
Hacker is also known for being open about his mental health struggles, with him opening up about some of the issues he faces on Twitter as well as on his private TikTok account @imnotvinnie and ‘pain account’ @itsallpainlmao.
A recent phenomenon, ‘pain accounts’ are essentially private accounts wherein TikTok users vent their frustrations and share their mental health struggles. Even big name TikTok stars such as Nessa Barrett, have their own standalone ‘pain account.’
However, a recent post on Hacker’s ‘pain’ account caused him to draw scrutiny from fans. Following the announcement of the election results, which led to widespread celebrations across the US, Hacker posted a now-deleted TikTok wherein he said that while he was “super stoked” about the election results, he was “still lonely”.
This in turn led to a lot of backlash, with several commenters telling Hacker that this situation was “not about” him, with one commenter remarking that Hacker was showing a lot of “privilege” by posting this video. One TikTok user said: “Are you kidding me right now?”
In response to this backlash, Hacker deleted the video before posting a series of erratic Tweets. He started by posting that he was “done with being judged for everything”, saying that he “felt like he was being constantly watched” before apologizing for posting “such insensitive content”, reiterating that it was “never [his] intention to be insensitive to any community”.
He then announced that he would be taking a social media break, but soon posted a TikTok to his private account which appeared to depict him sitting in a dark room before telling fans to “check [his] Twitter to get a deeper understanding” of the reason behind the TikTok.
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Over on Twitter, he explained that he posted the TikTok to “get a deeper understanding and meanings behind your guys’ disappointment”.
He said that he’s not “reaching for sympathy” with the TikTok and “understands that this is something [he] should be held accountable for”, but he also argued that “some things were taken out of proportion” – claiming that he got death threats and family threats as a result of posting his original TikTok.
Hacker ended the Twitter thread by asking fans for their “understanding” as he continues to educate himself on issues.
reaching for sympathy. that’s not the case. there is no sympathy to be shed. also, most of it is just mocking, but underneath replies i could see a lot of your guys’ points. i understand. this is something i should continue to be held accountable for-
— Vinnie 😃 (@Vinniehacker) November 8, 2020
a lot of you are still young, so some things were taken out of proportion; death threats, assault threats, threatening family, etc. but as you become older and start to realize, this isn’t how you handle things, education is solution. i know this is going to be a rough ride –
— Vinnie 😃 (@Vinniehacker) November 8, 2020
and it will continue to be for as long as i have a social media platform, but i don’t want you guys to give me “i love you i hope you’re ok” right now, i want you to give me your understanding, and know what i’m saying with the meaning behind it.
— Vinnie 😃 (@Vinniehacker) November 8, 2020
Fan reactions to the thread were mixed. While some fans sided with Hacker – with one Twitter user pointing out that it was “totally human to make mistakes” – other fans were more skeptical about his intentions behind the Twitter thread, with one fan arguing that “the way [Hacker] handles being held accountable is so weird”, speculating that he has a “manipulative side.
It is unclear when – if at all – Hacker will start his social media hiatus.
