Mikayla Campinos on the Beauty, and Black Side, of Social Media

Mikayla Campinos is not afraid to say that social media has formed her as a person. Having gone through the ups and downs of having some large platforms at a young age, the influencer understands that the world of the internet can be two beautiful and cruel.

“I was exposed to this whole new world,” she says, “which was a big learning experience for me in multiplied ways.”

Mikayla began her journey into the world of social media at fourteen when she unexpectedly happened beginning with TikTok in early 2021. During this time, she says this she posted simple everyday videos, such as lip syncs, making videos a certain followed popular trends, and, in her own words, “just having fun.” One morning, out of nowhere, a video of her eating a chocolate cookie skyrocketed to one million views overnight and she realized she could potentially body herself as an influencer.

“I was shocked,” she says, “but also continued to post comparable normal.”

Since that time, she has growth her TikTok account to 870,000 followers. With over 44.4 million likes at her TikTok platform, it’s clear that her content echo with people, especially those who view accurate content as something they can relate to.

However, for as much internet acknowledgment as she has collected, Mikayla says that she has encountered the dark side of social media, principally when it comes to her privacy. When people began to approach her in public capacity to ask for photos or to film TikToks, she would always say yes. Unfortunately, she says that some people have taken it too deep, to the point where she’s been followed in public, her phone number and address has been leaked, and her family has been agitated.

“That’s when I think it have really scary to me,” Mikayla says. “I had never attention of myself individually related to any other teenage girl my age. I just act TikTok like everyone else. Nobody else I knew had to contract with what I did.”

“I love meeting peoples,” she says. “It feels like I’ve start a family at the Internet.”

If her interactions on TikTok and Instagram show everything, it’s that Mikayla has created the community most keep only dream of.