‘Out of touch’ influencer Jaclyn Torrey facing backlash for complaining to fans
Influencer Jaclyn Torrey, nee Jaclyn Hill, has sparked backlash online after questioning why her videos are only getting thousands of views on TikTok.
The 35-year-old social media star first gained popularity on YouTube in the 2010s, where she would post make-up tutorials and beauty-related content.
She's since transferred her content over to different channels, such as Instagram ad TikTok, where she has 8.5 million and 1.2million followers respectively.
However, in a video posted last week, that's since racked up millions of views, sees the star open up about how she's been struggling to get views on TikTok and feels like she's 'running through mud' to connect with her followers.
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She explained: "I'm gonna talk about something that I think is maybe a little controversial, or maybe not, but I feel like no one really talks about it on social media.
"At least I don't see it as a conversation being had, but I think about this every day and this is coming from an old school beauty content creator."
"I started on YouTube 14 years ago like that is insane. I have been here for every single era, consistently uploading, downloading every new platform, watched the birth of TikTok."
She added: "I have been here for all of it and I feel like we're in such a weird place on social media as content creators where I am like fighting, I feel like I am trying to run through mud to connect with my followers at this point.
"I feel like there are so many bots and I feel like these apps are now controlling who views my videos and I feel like I get punished and penalised for not showing up and creating all the time."
The influence elaborated: "In the sense of, I didn't post a TikTok for like a week and a half, two weeks maybe, like sorry s***, life happens. I've been doing this for fourteen years, maybe I'm a little burnt out God forbid.
"But then I come back to TikTok and it's like I'm put in this TikTok jail where my views are complete s***. It's one thing if my engagement is s***, meaning like maybe my views are high but my comments are low, likes are low. So it's like okay my audience wasn't feeling the vibes of this video. That's fine.
"But I'm talking like when you have a million followers but your videos are only getting 30,000 views, this is just not the way it used to be."
Jaclyn continued: "I put videos out there and sometimes it's like I'm talking to myself. Like where is my audience? And I feel like my audience is really on Instagram Stories. My girls are there for me on Instagram Stories, I really know who I'm talking to over there. But I miss the days of knowing who I'm posting my content for.
"I'll post a video and within like ten seconds I'll get like 15 comments and they're all slightly the same. And I'm like, okay these are bot comments, not really my followers.
"I don't care about that. I'm at the point in my life and my career where I only want to post for my girls. The ones that I have built this relationship and this trust with but TikTok isn't even showing my stuff to those people."
After the video was uploaded, unimpressed fans rushed to the comments to accuse the beauty pro of flaunting her wealth and insisting they don't want to see videos about 'buying handbags'.
One user commented: "Saying ‘I’m burnt out’ from posting Sephora hauls and grwms to employed people is insane."
While a second added: "My husband and I are trying to figure out how to but formula next week, I'm sick of influencer wealth being thrown in my face daily."
And a third wrote: "Girl, you’re missing the point in the comments."
"Personally… I feel like you guys live in a dystopia. I am wondering how I am going to financially recover from trying to give my kids a Christmas meanwhile you guys are moving to LA and buying handbags that are more than my mortgage. So I scroll past it now," penned a fourth.
While someone else wrote: "Right after this TikTok btw," and pointed out a previous video about Jaclyn being sent a designer bag.
However, it looks like she has already taken her followers' comments on board and made a follow-up video clarifying that she was talking about TikTok's algorithm, not her own content not getting views.
She added that she's 'listening and asking what people do want to see'.
The internet star said: "If you're not enjoying what you're seeing I 100 per cent wanna know. I wanna shift gears so my ears are open."
Tyla has contacted a representative for Jaclyn for comment.
Topics: TikTok, Social Media, Beauty, Celebrity, Life, Instagram, Money
Madison Burgess