I’m all for a good conspiracy theory. I find them very interesting and entertaining. However, I don’t live my life based on hypotheticals. Who does anyway? You would be surprised. Social media algorithms have been exposed. Well, not the actual proprietary algorithms but the strategy put into creating the algorithms. Studies have shown that people tend to stay on social media longer when interacting with controversial topics. The most controversial topics of all are conspiracy theories. What I’ve just shared with you is no secret to Tasha K.
Tasha K, whose real name is Latasha Kebe, recently lost a lawsuit which resulted in her owing millions of dollars to Diamond-certified rapper Cardi B. Cardi B sued Tasha K for defamation of character, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Tasha K used her vlog as a bully platform to libel Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Almánzar, in a malicious attack to destroy her reputation. Yet, in good wino fashion, Tasha K is doubling down on her egotistic stance by responding with new conspiracy theories.
This strategy is one of the oldest moves in the playbook. Can we normalize taking an “L” again? Whenever you want to go to the next level in developing your character, learn how to swallow your pride. Tasha K and others in our community are self-destructing because of their egos. It is quite alright to admit to yourself that you took a loss. No one enjoys losing but when you are obsessed with winning, you become haunted if you lose. If you are going to be obsessed with success, be preoccupied with doing your best. Tasha K is not one to bow out gracefully.
Perhaps, it’s not a character flaw, and I’m just missing the brilliance in her business strategy. With over 300,000 followers on Instagram, Tasha K is a very successful social media influencer, after all. She recently celebrated 1,000,000 subscribers on YouTube during the trial, but that number has gone back down into the 900 K’s since the verdict. I respect that she built her platform by turning her guest room into a video studio while working as a server at Seasons 52. Her grind and tenacity are commendable. Maybe Tasha K kept doubling down because she saw an opportunity to pivot and gain even more followers.
Marketing is about evoking emotion. Conspiracy theories have a way of triggering our feelings, but usually the worst kind: fear, anxiety, mistrust, paranoia, uncertainty. But a click is a click, and a view is a view. While conspiracy theories do trigger negative emotions, they deliver a comfort that alleviates those same tense emotions. She’s playing on the lazy psychology of those who have a victim mentality and crave validation. When things don’t go a narcissist’s way, they blame it on the “higher-ups” that no one else knows exists, giving them a sense of superiority and control. “These last four years fighting this conspiracy case have been extremely challenging, and yet I wouldn’t change a single thing about any of it,” she said in a recent YouTube rant.
Her fans, the “Winos” as they’re called, don’t want to feel as though they’ve been following a liar all this time. So, Tasha K panders to their emotional need to feel right and correct in their judgment to choose her as a source of entertainment without guilt. “This case was meant to drain me financially, and it did not,” she claimed. I don’t wish for anyone to be financially devastated as poverty leads to crime. However, Tasha K is declaring that the courts did not serve her a large enough slice of humble pie. $4 Million should be enough to correct one’s character. It makes me concerned for her and her associates working close with her that she is so blinded by pride. She is so adamant about going out in a blaze of glory as a crash dummy. I hope that her hangers-on see that it’s not worth it and decide to abandon ship before it sinks. But they might want to fight the “corporate machine” with her.
She claims that her YouTube channel “poses a threat to that machine’s sole intention to mislead the public.” This is coming from a woman who repeatedly admitted in a court of law that she ‘misled the public.’ If Tasha K is performing a permanent pivot, she’s more of a brilliant businesswoman than I initially thought. Negative gossip sells. It just does. Sensationalism attracts the mind’s attention, similar to how trauma causes a person to recall details of bad events. I’m not judging that either way; it’s just an observation. People can’t seem to resist the temptation to keep their hands out of the taboo cookie jar. Conspiracy theories sell even better because one gets to offer their audience sensationalism with pure conjecture and no victims to lie on. Tasha K gets to up the ante with less liability.
Consuela Allen
Consuela Allen @speakerconsuela | Consuela is a Certified Life-Purpose Coach, Certified Peer Specialist, Respect Institute Speaker, Mental Health First Aider, Spiritual Midwife, and Songwriter. In other words, she is a lover of words. Consuela enjoys utilizing written, verbal and musical communication to facilitate healing and wholeness.
