On August 15, internet celebrity and influencer Hailey Welch debuted her new podcast “Talk Tuah” through the Betr media company. The podcast, which climbed to Spotify’s top three last week, was named after Welch’s initial rise to fame via Tik Tok where she uses the phrase “Hawk Tuah” as a sexual reference during a street interview.
Although the launch of the podcast was a success, its seemingly sudden creation and popularity left many internet users confused. On June 11th, the original “Hawk Tuah” video from street interview channel Tim & Dee TV was released. By the debut of the Talk Tuah podcast during August, Welch had gained over 2.6 million followers on Instagram, received verification on the app and even threw the first pitch at a New York Mets game.
In less than two months, Hailey Welch had gone from being the face of a viral meme to a full-fledged influencer. Many users expressed their displeasure with Welch’s rise to fame, comparing her with other more established celebrities. “It’s crazy what you can get famous for in America,” read comments on social media posts about the Hawk Tuah meme, with other Instagram users claiming that Welch’s “15 minutes of fame” are over.
Regardless of the internet response to Welch’s newfound following, it reveals a shift in how fame is maintained in the digital age. The internet has fundamentally altered the pathways to fame and short-form content platforms like TikTok and Instagram reels are only making it easier to become an internet celebrity.
Many students at PV who frequently use Tik Tok have commented on this phenomenon. “She definitely came out of nowhere – first it was just a meme, but now she has merch, a podcast and is starting to collaborate with other top creators,” remarked sophomore Jack Belby.
For example, TikTok celebrity Khaby Lame found his niche after going viral for a specific style of video in which he duets clips of other users overcomplicating simple tasks and then showing the “normal” way of completing the same action.
Since his rise to fame in 2020, Lame went on to become the most followed user on TikTok with over 150 million fans, appeared at international modeling shows and was even listed in Forbes 30 under 30 in 2022. For online creators, consistency and reliability are more important than ever, all it takes is one viral event for creators to begin crafting their own fanbase and personal brand.
Students shared their thoughts regarding the internet’s effect on fame. “It’s insane how quickly someone can just blow up nowadays. And sometimes, someone will reference someone that I’m supposed to know and I have no clue who they are,” stated senior Aayush Deshpande.
While some influencers achieve massive fan bases with millions of followers, the personalized algorithms of social media have created “micro celebrities” that are only present on some user’s feeds. For example, if a person interacts with lots of short form skit content, they are likely more familiar with famous creator Joe Rauth than someone who interacts with another type of content.
