The Creator Industry Has Gone Too Far

How Hawk Tuah Explains Parasociality

The phrase “Hawk Tuah” was briefly inescapable in 2024. And the woman behind the meme, Hailey Welch, rocketed to mainstream popularity before introducing a crypto coin that may have been a straight-up scam. So why would people invest their hard-earned money in a not-so-inside joke? Let’s talk about parasocial relationships, and whether they’re good, bad or just plain complicated.

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Written by Neil Farrell @TheLeftistCooks
Hosted by Michael Burns
Directed by Gregory Elek
Edited by Benji Dunaief
Produced by Olivia Redden

Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound

#parasocial #culture #wisecrack

© 2025 Wisecrack / Omnia Media, Inc. / Enthusiast Gaming

[ellicurus]

My kids might hate it but I stop what they’re watching to point out all the moments that are hidden ads and clear acting so that they have at least a little media literacy and focus their relational development on the people who are in real life with them.

[dylannelson]

Rewatch 8:27 so the Youtube replay bar has Michael saying "spit on that thang, " as the most replayed.

[olsta]

the craziest version of modern parasocial relationships is chatting with only fans ai chat bots

[AnnPorkins]

Dr. Michael B. Wisecrack metaphorically hawk-tuah'd his way into my heart via the Wisecrack livestreams. If that makes me wrong, I don't want to be right

[obviouslyPSM]

2:52 I’ll say it for you. It’s bad that she makes more than you

[jalapenoofjustice]

the hawk tuah clip isn't even that memorable, if other people didn't bring it up so much I'd have forgotten about it within 24 hours of seeing it. Better memes have come & gone in no time at all, how did this one generate enough buzz for an entire talk show?

[PaxilRose]

In 6 months there's gonna be a wisecrack vid about how an app called Paired has ruined relationships and destroyed society.

[taipolar]

I watch Wisecrack to indulge in my parasocial man-crush on Michael Burns, and to hold out on my hope for a Thug Notes revival

[Krsh]

I appreciate your vulnerability and the way you share your own mental health experiences—it's valuable and relatable. That said, the consistent self-deprecation can sometimes undermine the strength of your message and the community as a whole. It can give the impression of a lack of confidence—not just in yourself, but in the ideas you're presenting and in the broader academic and intellectual discourse.

[colonialstraits]

Dolly Parton is a genuinely good person, with more talent than most. Comparing Hawk Tuah to Dolly is an affront to everything good and decent.

[tornado]

Huge bravo for calling Hailey the "Hawk Tuah Woman" instead of girl. Seriously. 10/10 A+

[Neosword]

Shoutout to the parasocial relationships of the analog age children’s public television hosts. (Yeah I’m old)

Mr. Fred Rodgers of Mr. Rodger’s’ Neighborhood
The muppets and humans of Sesame Street
Levar Burton of Reading Rainbow

They gave hope, comfort, and entertainment to those that are less fortunate and lonely during their formative years. I hope public television survives this administration.

[samuelschonenberger]

I think my parasocial relationships are kept weak by the fact that my interests shift a bit every few months so I don't get too attached to any single creator
That said, they are definetely present

[juliacoves]

The LA fires really highlighted how real my parasocial relationships are. I have all these people I care about in LA but no way to ask if they are okay unless they post an Instagram story. Burns even you, I was so worried! I joined the discord just to make sure you were okay. Hoping everyone in LA is doing okay <3

[asdkant]

That segway to the sponsor was a bit too smooth for comfort... I think a clearer cut like what Some More News or LTT do is a better place in the spectrum of "native vs completely segregated ads"

[Driftkingforlife]

Keep kicking ass @wisecrack shit is getting real.

[DebWrites]

I recall a study from the 1990s that found that people who watched TV soaps were less lonely than others. If it works, it works, eh?

[hat]

I sometimes teach, more than half of my students are not interested in being engineers, scientist, doctors and so on. They want to be influencers. We're

[AGuyThatKnowsALittleBitAboutIt]

I personally see these relationships as a substitute for the current culture of investing time (possibly money) in real world relationships and finding out those people don't share your values. I can speed run the relationship as easy as a click & watching their other content. There is no grabbing lunch, spending time to meet-up, & then finding out they support Trump or have racist tendencies (or other flaws). The creator is putting it all out there & you already know what they think for the most part.
Time is our most finite resource & this lifetime is too short to waste on people you are incompatible with.

[endplanets]

Similarly it seems like being online 100% of the time with strangers makes influencers into freaks.