The internet has been good at giving random people fame and attention for doing and saying funny things for a long time, including the Vine days. Recently, Haliey Welch has received a lot of attention and millions of followers for an interview that brought her to fame. You may not know her name because she has been identified as the “hawk tuah” girl. When interviewed off the streets of Tennessee, Welch responded to a question with “You got to hawk tuah and spit on that thing.” Many people found this funny and even attractive whether in regards to her physical appearance or her humor. Welch has now quit her job and gained 2.5 million followers on Instagram, rightfully so.

In the year of 2024, the term “Influencer,” has become quite popular.  People who led normal lives now have millions if not billions of followers on various platforms due to OnlyFans, modeling, comedy, music, being relatable  and even just dancing on TikTok. If someone like Charli D’Amelio can gain 155.5 million followers because of her background in dance, it is more than fair for a funny country girl to get attention. On the other hand, there are musicians, actors, activists, doctors and philanthropists that have worked extremely hard to gain a following on any social media platform. For example, Demi Lovato. Lovato has been in the spotlight since the age of ten and has since then auditioned dozens of times, sold multiple record breaking albums, gone on tour several times, starred in multiple roles including her own documentaries and even created her own cooking section on TikTok.

Lovato is now, somehow, comparable to fourteen year olds dancing on TikTok. While I do believe that the internet has a right to make whomever famous, one could say it is unfair. Welch’s case, however, she has given to charities and provided food for animal shelters and for that, she is admirable. Before letting her “fifteen minutes,” run out, she decided to make a difference. One of the more important sides to fame is age and consent. Recently a thirteen year old named Evelyn has become a famous “get ready with me,” influencer with 450,600 followers on TikTok. She posts with crop tops on, doing makeup, skin care and talking about school and trends. The internet should not make minors, who have the potential to be harmed on social media and in real life, famous. 

While child actresses get famous from working hard, Evelyn has now received the title of influencer and that may alter the trajectory of her life forever, in a negative way. Regardless of age, since the Vine era in 2012, relatable and funny groups of people have become viral very easily. With social media expanding and internet partakers growing exponentially, rise to fame will be much easier for the Average Joe.