North Texas Daily

Throughout the past six months, videos have surfaced all over the internet of influencers throwing exorbitant house parties in the Hollywood Hills. These videos have an air of pre-corona normalcy to them as they show gigantic mansions packed with people (wearing no masks) and some of the biggest names on the internet in attendance.

As the parties have persisted for the duration of quarantine, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced he would be shutting down water and electricity to houses who were caught throwing parties or having large gatherings in Los Angeles. However, that never seemed to happen as members of the Sway House, a TikTok influencer house, were seen posting videos showing that their water and electricity still worked and had never been shut off.

While throwing and attending parties might not be the best look, many of these young influencers do not seem to care. If they are caught at a party, they simply take to the internet to apologize but then the next weekend they go to another party. As long as they post an apology they feel as if they are being absolved of any wrongdoing.

As partygoers and creators take pictures and videos at these parties, they end up on exposé and drama channels on YouTube. These channels essentially document all the drama and scandals of these internet celebrities and provide a tabloid-esque retelling of the highlights of the night. Maybe all publicity isn’t necessarily good publicity.

If there are one thing creators are not afraid to do it is to call each other out. Various YouTubers such as Tyler Oakley and Elijah Daniel have taken to Twitter and YouTube to talk about the irresponsibility of these influencers and the danger they are putting themselves and others in as they continue to host and attend parties. While this may seem applaudable that they are calling their peers out, it simply boils down to common sense. On the other hand, they are also increasing their exposure by starting “drama.” Either way, it seems to be a win-win situation.

Hype House creator Thomas Petrou said in a phone interview with the New York Times that these parties are still a part of their jobs as creators and that networking and entertaining people is what they do. Petrou also said that the influencers in the Hype House try to be as responsible as possible as they all basically quarantine together at the house and get tested regularly.

While it should not be expected for influencers to party right now, it should not come as that much of a surprise. Many popular influencers on YouTube and Tiktok are typically in their late teens and early twenties living in Los Angeles with no adult supervision and more money than anyone that age would ever need. As a result, they now think they can do whatever they want because they have the means to.

Influencer and social media culture might be partly to blame for this happening. By letting social media become such a big part of our lives and the way we consume media, we have unknowingly given people a platform that they might not be equipped to handle. Whether you want it or not, there is a social responsibility that comes with having a platform and millions of impressionable followers.

By throwing these parties, these creators are essentially saying they are above the law and have no regard for the health of others or the lockdown regulations put in place to further stop the spread of coronavirus and flatten the curve in California.

Featured Illustration by Austin Banzon