Charli D'Amelio criticized after being named Forbes' Social Media Person of the Year

Image via Zimbio
Image via Zimbio

A section of the internet was not happy after TikTok sensation Charli D'Amelio claimed a prestigious Forbes gong.

The youngest member of the D'Amelio family snagged the coveted Social Media Person of the Year award at Forbes' annual Social Media Awards, much to the excitement of millions of her fans.

The joyous announcement was officially made by Charli D'Amelio's dad, Marc D'Amelio, on Twitter:

While most of her fans were left ecstatic, another section of the online community seemed displeased that a TikToker had taken home a prestigious Forbes award.

As dissent began mounting online, the 16-year old's fans came out in large numbers to extend support to Charli D'Amelio, who they believe deserves every bit of the recognition she is getting.


Twitter reacts to Charli D'Amelio being named Forbes Person of the Year

youtube-cover

Soon after news of her recent accomplishment went viral, several disgruntled Twitter users took to social media to protest her win, which they believe is "underserved" and a joke:

In light of mounting criticism, several fans came out in support of Charli D'Amelio. They highlighted her credentials at such a young age and the fact that she has a whopping 100 million followers on TikTok.

While there is no doubt that her recent achievement is undoubtedly praiseworthy, it has left the internet sorely divided.

This is because Charli D'Amelio was caught in a social media storm a couple of months back, after she and her sister, Dixie, were accused of being ungrateful towards the family chef.

Soon after that fiasco, she reached the 100 million follower mark, which invited further scrutiny when it was alleged that she was buying her followers. The most common ground for criticism against Charli D'Amelio seems to be that at the end of the day, she is a TikToker who has become famous primarily due to viral dances, some of which are not her own creation.

This generalized perception often clouds the perspective of a section of the online community, which often criticizes her achievements.

Despite online criticism, Charli D'Amelio continues to be one of the biggest internet celebrities in the world today. The Connecticut native has an army of fans who continue to idolize her meteoric rise in entertainment.

Edited by Ravi Iyer