this post was submitted on 17 Sep 2025
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A Boring Dystopia

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When “Ordinary People” on TikTok turn out to be professional actors (crazypeople.online)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by jubjub@crazypeople.online to c/aboringdystopia@lemmy.world
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I followed a TikTok creator for a few years. The persona was simple: everyday ham radio hobbyist, sharing casual commentary. Authentic, relatable, low-stakes.

Then the tone shifted. One video was quite dystopian and she suddenly called for “bringing in the national guard.” The delivery was passionate, but it felt out of character. That raised my suspicion.

A quick search confirmed it:

  • IMDB page with acting and screenwriting credits.
  • LinkedIn listing actor/screenwriter.
  • Personal website advertising acting services and agency representation.

None of this background is mentioned on TikTok. The image presented is “just a regular person.” When I left a polite comment pointing this out, it was first met with polite debate, then deleted. A follow-up comment got me blocked.

Why I think this matters:

  • People build trust with influencers who seem authentic.
  • Undisclosed professional backgrounds change how we interpret their message.
  • Deleting comments that question authenticity suggests image control (so much for free speech!)

This isn’t about one creator. It’s about how propaganda works. Influencers can pose as everyday citizens to build trust, then steer conversations in political directions.

My takeaway from this is to not take online personas at face value - get in the habit of doing your due diligence, check backgrounds. Treat influencer content with the same scrutiny as political advertising.

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[–] RoquetteQueen@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 days ago

I tell my kids that nobody is their authentic self on camera. Everyone is acting to some degree. They watch YouTube sometimes and we'll talk about what the purpose of the video was. Was this person trying to sell you something? Teach you something? Make you believe something? Right now we only have YouTube accessible on the living room TV so that I always know what they're watching, but I won't be able to control that forever so I am making sure they learn to think critically about what they're watching. I started when they were toddlers by making a big show of not liking ads.

[–] dangling_cat@piefed.blahaj.zone 42 points 3 days ago

it always had been

[–] HelloHotel@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago

@jubjub@crazypeople.online please give me a source, this is genuinely crazy to me.

[–] treadful@lemmy.zip 18 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Actors can have hobbies, too.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 18 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yeah, but when that hobby includes using acting to deliver corporate or conservative propaganda, I'd say it's something that should be mentioned at the very least, because when you get paid for it, it ain't a hobby

[–] treadful@lemmy.zip -4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Paid by whom? Everything here looks like pure speculation to me.

[–] jubjub@crazypeople.online 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

To be clear: I have no evidence of who, if anyone, is paying her - if I was to guess, that would be pure speculation. All I can go by is the facts and that is:

  • She says she is "just a content creator" and amateur radio enthusiast. She seldom ever talks about her personal life, but when she does she has never mentioned any acting and script writing career (which is still her current job according to LinkedIn).
  • Her videos are framed as off-the-cuff, but if you actually pay attention to it, the delivery is very controlled with precise, deliberate phrasing (scripted).
  • I commented to remark on the tone shift, mentioned her strong acting background and asked if her TikTok was a performance or genuine outrage. She didn't acknowledge the acting in her reply, but asserted her position wishing for the national guard to feel safe on the streets. I didn't take a screenshot of this as it was a very courteous exchange and I genuinely didn't expect her to delete it.
  • My comment was deleted after an hour or so which made me more suspicious
  • Another commenter also pointed out the stark pivot in messaging from recent videos, to which I replied that she might want to take a screen shot of the comment for posterity (as I wish I had done!) as comments were being deleted, and I was swiftly blocked.
  • In subsequent videos she hasn't addressed my findings on her career.

The bigger issue for me is transparency. If someone is a trained actor presenting as an ‘ordinary hobbyist,’ that shapes how viewers perceive and trust the message. She has a huge influence over the opinions of her audience - they trust her word implicitly, and she knows this because they tell her. This is why media literacy is important - and audiences should know if they’re watching a performance.

[–] treadful@lemmy.zip -2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Her videos are framed as off-the-cuff, but if you actually pay attention to it, the delivery is very controlled with precise, deliberate phrasing (scripted).

This describes literally any half successful youtuber.

Another commenter also pointed out the stark pivot in messaging from recent videos, to which I replied that she might want to take a screen shot of the comment for posterity (as I wish I had done!) as comments were being deleted, and I was swiftly blocked.

Sounds to me like a creator wasn't a fan of your obsession with their life off-camera.

Lots of people seem to be turning fascist for whatever reason. That'll include content creators. Especially ones that think they can build an audience from exploiting the latest controversy.

That makes them opportunistic and shitty, sure. But thinking everyone with a shitty opinion is a paid propagandist isn't healthy thinking.

[–] jubjub@crazypeople.online 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I’m not claiming she’s a paid propagandist - what I can show is public info: she is a professional actor with a career in performance. None of that is disclosed in her TikTok persona/bio, which is framed as an ordinary hobbyist speaking off the cuff.

You’re right that lots of creators script their delivery. The difference here is the concealment of background. If someone with a long acting career presents as a grassroots voice without disclosing that context, it changes how audiences interpret their message.

This isn’t about one person’s opinion being ‘shitty.’ It’s about media literacy and the unhealthy parasocial relationships of their audience. Viewers should know who they are trusting, especially when the content escalates into political messaging. Transparency does matter.

[–] treadful@lemmy.zip -1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It’s about media literacy and the unhealthy parasocial relationships of their audience

Ironic.

[–] jubjub@crazypeople.online -1 points 2 days ago

Ok? You're missing the point entirely.

[–] johnny_deadeyes@piefed.social 13 points 3 days ago

Paid influencers may seem like a new phenomenon, but they go back to at least Edward Bernays. A current example I'm exposed to is a lady that ran for Lt. Governor in my state some decades back. Attractive, allegedly non-partisan, supposedly independent. She now shills for whoever will pay her -now the current administration. Though I've watched her allegiances change like the wind. Her output now is so venomous and obviously propaganda, I only keep her in my feed because she gets the new talking points before almost anyone else. It's instructive to watch.