For those who have been on TikTok since the very beginning, it is probable that they are aware of the creator Isabella Avila. However, it is not certain that they have been informed of Avila’s most recent content, and the wretched allegations made against them because of it.
Isabella Avila, better known online by the name Onlyjayus, currently has 14.6 million followers on TikTok, along with 1.3 million subscribers on YouTube, and is one of TikTok’s original creators. They began by making “psychology” videos, popping up on everyone’s “For You” page spouting out facts and life hacks involving our bodies and minds. This immediately sparked interest from the TikTok community, and it wasn’t long before Avila had built a very popular platform.
However, recently, Avila has been deviating from their original content, posting more and more videos that tell jokes instead of information. This would be great if it weren’t for the many people calling Avila out for their blatantly racist and ableist content in her newer videos, not to mention the many people coming to realize that the information she has been posting to the public for so long is fake, baseless, and sometimes even dangerous.
I am not one to endorse “Cancel Culture,” given how poisonous and toxic it can truly be. That being said, when a creator with as much power and influence as Avila has continued to abuse it, that is when their platform becomes problematic enough to be destroyed. Avila has addressed the allegations made against them in the most ignorant of fashions, making promises of changing their behavior and yet not following through, or accusing people of being unable to take a joke.
As of late, the TikTok community has rallied together in an attempt to take Avila’s platform away from them by creating the following petition. When Avila was made aware of this petition, they only became more defensive and posted a video saying TikTok would never cancel them because they have far too much power. The petition is nearing 500,000 signatures.
Knowing that TikTok is an app that many young children spend their time on, it is unfortunate to know that people such as Avila are influencing them and how they live their lives, and perhaps justifying racist and ableist behavior in their own lives. It is okay to make mistakes, however, it is not okay to fake an apology in an attempt to hold onto the power that those “mistakes” brought them. The situation with Avila is just one example of the many creators that need to be aware that they are being checked, and that power should not be for those who tear down and traumatize others.