She Got Mocked Online For Posting Wholesome Content. Then Came The Plot Twist.

This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

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Leave it to people on the internet to complain about even the most innocuous things. One X user snarked last week that a woman she “went to school with” is “trying to be a Raleigh, North Carolina influencer.” That tweet went mega-viral, with over 24 million views and tens of thousands of likes.

The point of the tweet was obviously mockery, but about what, exactly? That the young woman grew up in a Raleigh suburb and still lives in the area? That she’s conventionally attractive and stylish without the edge of a jaded Brooklynite? That it’s embarrassing to try to be an influencer from somewhere as obscure as the capital city of a Southern state?

“When I saw it, I was like, ‘What in the world?’” Bayleigh Adams, the subject of the viral tweet, told The Daily Wire. “I don’t know if she was being mean towards me specifically, or just like the idea of somebody doing it in Raleigh, who knows?”

Bayleigh said she started posting about local events on her TikTok account just in the past few months, gathering several thousand followers for her posts on the goings-on in North Carolina’s second most populous city. She says she knew of the woman who tweeted about her, but they had never even had a conversation. Nevertheless, the publicity was good news for her page. “Ever since that tweet, it’s done a lot better,” she says.

Not everyone who exists publicly online aspires to Kardashian levels of fame, nor should she. Micro-influencers across the country keep countless people apprised of fun happenings in their neighborhoods and cities. Without them, we’d miss out on farmers’ markets, art fairs, happy hours, and plenty of community events. Whereas people once found out about upcoming events in the paper, today they hear about them on Instagram and TikTok.

“I feel like Raleigh has started becoming a more up-and-coming city,” Bayleigh says. “We’re getting new trending restaurants and bars and more things to do where it used to be kind of the same old things, so I’ve just been trying to promote that.”

“I really enjoy doing things in general,” she adds. “If anything, this has made me step out of my comfort zone with doing the same activities, and it’s making me try new places and do new things. And hopefully it’s helping other people find some things to do too.”

The post that went viral listed several events happening that upcoming weekend. If you were in Raleigh earlier this month, you might’ve wanted to watch “Beauty and the Beast” by the Carolina Ballet, shop at a night market, or chow down at a food truck festival. 

After Bayleigh went viral, many onlookers rushed to her defense. “[T]his is such a hating *ss post I had to find her and follow,” one person said. “Bayleigh from Rayleigh got a ring to it!” 

Bayleigh herself took it in stride, posting to her TikTok, “[By the way] I’ve never even had a conversation [with] that girl from my high school, but [thanks] for the support girlie… anyways follow along for things to do in Raleigh.”

@bayleighadams Thx gf! #raleigh #thingstodoinraleigh ♬ original sound – Ian Asher

News of the viral drama went all the way to the governor’s mansion, where Bayleigh herself was invited to a wine-tasting event with other content creators — via DM from the governor’s account. Everyday viewers have also reached out, Bayleigh says, to thank her for sharing businesses and events that they’ve tried out themselves.

It can be embarrassing to post videos of yourself, Bayleigh admits. But that’s no reason not to do it. 

“At the end of the day, I think that the success that you want to have, it’s not going to happen by just sitting around. You have to actually do it,” she says. “If this is something you want to do and you want to post or whatever it is, you shouldn’t worry about what anybody says. There can be a thousand positive comments and you’re gonna have somebody that is gonna give you a hate comment or somebody that’s gonna make fun of you. And, honestly, who cares?”

Gen Z’s aloof, irony-poisoned attitude may finally be giving way to something more earnest. Or, at least, more people are embracing the mantra, let people enjoy things. If anything, people need more reasons to leave their living rooms and meet up with their neighbors.

Bayleigh is looking forward to trying a new cocktail bar and posting a video, which can take the edge off trying a new place for some viewers. “Those sorts of things help too because I know when I’m going somewhere I want to see the vibe,” she says. What are people wearing? What should you expect? “So I think that’s helpful too, and a lot of people seem to think that as well.”

“Obviously people are loving it,” Bayleigh says, “so I’ll keep doing it.”