by There is an inevitable timeline to virality. First there’s rising fame, then ubiquitous online affection, followed by a digital fall from grace. We’ve seen it happen time and time again.
Remember Ken Bone, the gentleman in the red sweater who won hearts during a presidential debate in 2016? It wasn’t long before internet sleuths unearthed his nasty history on Reddit. TikTok’s favorite emu farmer? You know where this is going. (In Internet parlance, these characters are often called “beaten ducks.”)
Now, Campbell and Jett Puckett are experiencing the second half of this timeline.
The Pucketts, a couple living in Georgia, rose to fame on TikTok, where Ms. Puckett regularly posts videos of the couple modeling their outfits. Technically it’s his wife’s account, but Mr. Puckett has become beloved for the very particular ways in which he promotes his wife, whom he affectionately refers to as Pookie.
“This is the best outfit for a Friday night date,” says Puckett in a video November, pointing to his wife’s miniskirt and cardigan. “What I love is the sexy but elegant look,” says in a video of the couple preparing to attend a college football game.
“Pookie looks absolutely amazing,” he says in a more tone. recent upload. It has been viewed more than 6 million times. Mr. Puckett sometimes describes his wife’s dress as “fire.”
At first, viewers were baffled by the couple’s videos. Many found in them a vehicle to experience acute secondhand shame. But in recent weeks the situation has changed. “I love this man,” reads a representative comment on a recent video. “He is very awkward in every video, but he is very sweet,” reads another.
Mr. Puckett’s vocal adoration of his wife’s taste and wardrobe has become a meme. TikTok users have started imitating Mr. Puckett and making “absolutely fire” parody videos. Even Southwest Airlines I got into the matter. (Usually when a brand enters the picture, it’s a sure sign that an internet joke is no longer funny.)
This is where the inevitable happened: as the couple became more popular, people began digging into their history online. A TikTok user posted a screenshot of what appeared to be Mr. Puckett’s LinkedIn and narrated his resume to the tune of two million views. (This video did not show anything unpleasant, but instead highlighted Mr. Puckett’s academic and professional accolades.)
Then, on Reddit, users shared photos of a person they claimed to be Ms. Puckett. In one, the woman poses in front of a Confederate flag. (The photo was still visible Wednesday on a Facebook account that appears to belong to Ms. Puckett.) In another, she wears an old-fashioned dress with a large skirt, which some online have said was a costume for an “old lady.” Southern plantation themed dance. (This photo was posted to Pinterest by an account purporting to be the University of Mississippi’s Phi Mu sorority chapter, of which Ms. Puckett was a member.)
Ms. Puckett declined multiple interview requests for this article. In an email to The New York Times, she wrote that she had addressed photos of her on social media. “Some old photos of mine resurfaced recently,” she wrote in an Instagram Story. “At the time these photos were taken, I was 20 years old. I didn’t fully understand the impact of my actions like I do now.” She apologized “for the harm this may have caused to some and she took full responsibility.”
Ms. Puckett is an influencer trying to court an audience, and as such, she has invited the Internet at large to pay close attention to her. This scenario, however, doesn’t just happen to people who seek fame. By now everyone should understand the speed and ease with which everyone’s entire online experience is available for public consumption. But there are bigger questions surrounding digital footprints, and as generations grow up in a world where there was never a time without the Internet, those footprints are getting bigger and harder to manage every day.
Our pixelated detritus can range from banal and harmless posts to posts that could negatively affect someone’s personal life or career or simply cause unwanted or undeserved embarrassment.
“Ordinary people need to be aware that, without even trying on their own, their lives could suddenly explode and become fodder for public consumption and judgment,” Kate Lindsay, writer for the digital culture newsletter. Incorporated, he said in an interview. (Ms. Lindsay emphasized that she was not condoning Ms. Puckett’s actions, but she was speaking more broadly.)
“I think it’s in everyone’s best interest to periodically delete your online presence,” he added. “There are some people who seem to fall under the belief that that is avoidance or evasion of responsibility, but I actually believe that eliminating is responsibility. You realize that that is bad and it no longer represents you.”
Pookie and her fire suits will probably be forgotten as quickly as they appeared, but the viral cycle will surely begin again for someone else. It’s probably already started.
