The internet has been through many cycles of social media stardom. From Myspace to Instagram and from Vine to YouTube to TikTok, the individuals who place their lives online are obligated to create elaborate videos to keep their fans entertained and themselves in the news.
With TikTok becoming one of the biggest forms of social media and growing immensely since its growth in 2019, the teens and young adults who have found fame on the app have started new lives creating multimillion dollar brands and developing high amounts of wealth.
TikTok made “hype houses” involving the newest, youngest stars who had moved to Los Angeles to pursue their social media careers. There were two main houses that competed for the ultimate title of fame in hopes of creating a loyal fan base. Through living in “The Hype House” and “The Sway House,” the kids living there were able to grow their followings and popularity across not only the internet but the world.
With millions of international and local viewers and supporters, these teenagers casually receive millions of views on every 15-to-60-second video they make. Thousands of followers are not impressive anymore; if you are above two million, you are then of importance within the community.
Lately, audiences have grown tired of repeated TikTok drama and the endless cycle of competitiveness between the different house members. As the houses’ “hype” diminished and the original personalities left, the theatrics of their TikToks and YouTube pages have not been the same.
While the drama on TikTok lessened, TikToker and YouTuber tension began to rise. Each platform needed a revamp to get watchers re-interested in their material. The influencers in the spotlight have felt a dry patch in views and relevancy, so in order to stay on top, it seems they have taken it upon themselves to create “beef” or drama with other stars in the industry.
Boxing has become a common practice for YouTubers who have fallen off the platform. YouTube stars Jake and Logan Paul began this trend and have sparred professional fighters like Floyd Mayweather relatively successfully.
While these two celebs began boxing for pure enjoyment, after their peers saw their earnings from the fights, they had figured out their way to make even more. By incorporating fake conflict between a “colleague” and milking out their tweets, challenging their opponent to a fight does not seem farfetched.
Encouraging false drama has enabled both sides to make millions—yes, millions—off a boxing match.
In the event of the year, the most problematic men in social media are starring in the “Battle of the Platforms.” The two headlining the event are Bryce Hall, an ex-member of Sway House known as a delinquent and an intense partier, and Austin McBroom, a family vlogger who is known for having many controversies concerning his loyalty towards his family.
LiveXLive Media hosted the occasion on June 12, 2021, advertised as a “one of a kind, unprecedented live PPV entertainment mega event.” Hall, 22, signed a contract setting him to earn $5 million, in addition to four percent of the Pay-Per-View sales and a million-dollar compensation for a knockout from McBroom directly. McBroom, 29, agreed to making less than Hall just to fight, with another arrangement that Hall would pay him $1 million if he were to get a knockout.
While these boxers were lied to and not paid for their fights, the money promised is something that cannot be ignored. The other influencers on the lineup are newly made celebrities and the only plausible reason for these non-boxers to be competing would be to receive more fame and extremely high payments.
Being new and completely immersed into the world of L.A. in an extremely short time span, from a young age, these teens simply cannot pass up receiving multigenerational wealth from one event.
