Can we talk about those apology videos that miss the point entirely?

I saw a small beauty influencer post a 10 minute video last week about her 'cancel moment' for lying about a sponsored product. She spent 8 minutes talking about how hard the backlash was on her mental health and only 2 minutes actually saying sorry. It felt like she was asking for pity instead of owning up. Has anyone else noticed this shift where apologies turn into sympathy requests?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancybailey7d ago

You make a good point, but I actually see it a little differently. The whole genre of apology videos is messed up because the internet forces people to perform their shame, you know? When they spend 8 minutes on their mental health, maybe they're just being honest about how hard public humiliation is, not trying to dodge accountability. A real apology shouldn't have to be a scripted performance where tears are expected, it should be about changed behavior later on. It's easy to judge the framing of a video, but way harder to figure out if someone actually learned from their mistake.

umathompson5d ago

You watch @the_robin and I both watched a guy apologize to his cat once on live stream.

the_robin7d ago

Does anyone actually think about how the apology video format itself makes people look guilty no matter what they say? Like if they cry, it's manipulation, if they stay calm, they don't care, if they talk about their past trauma, they're deflecting. We've built a trap where the only way to win is to not make the video at all, which is crazy because then they get roasted for staying silent too.