By The controversy between the influencers has turned into a common entertainment in Kenyan digital culture. Be it a lifestyle content participant shouting at their competitor or TikTokers trading barbs, the events in question are fast, and they are also loud. Livestreams go viral, screenshots arise, and audiences take sides, turning the conflict from personal into a spectacle. It appears to be performative at a glance. There is, however, more behind the two-faced nature of the mess. In the modern world, value embodies visibility. The more fans a creator gets, whether good or bad, the more followers they have
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Controversy in this kind of economy can be regarded as a potent marketing weapon. It is hard to draw a line between actual tension and pre-planned drama. Everyone knows the rules, however, both influencers and audiences: emotional spectacle brings attention, and attention brings everything afterward. Digital influencers, unlike traditional celebrities, do have control of their brand in real time (Listiawati et al., 2024). They address them straight, take immediate comments, and strike a grey area between privacy and personal life. This uncut, untouched interaction presents a reality feeling, which is an illusion about the state of things that is chaotic or not. The louder it is, the more ironic loyal fans get. High-engagement brands are known to attract high marketing potential despite such outrage. Drama is a strategy, not only a response, in a busy online world. It works out great for many.
Whether these influencer wars are real or fake is not the main question, but when we ask why it still works. They expose an online culture in which what is seen is more important than what is truthful, and fame frequently tends to be won through being in the news. The site is also a haven whereby chaos is no longer a byproduct of online life but a well-utilized tool. Conflict earns an audience, and an audience means power, followers, and brand opportunities (Shvelidze et al., 2024). There will always be an incentive to continue this drama as long as the viewers are still watching. Performance is mandatory in the attention economy that makes it survival.
