The “Libs of TikTok” Twitter account has surpassed 1 million followers after its creator was at the center of national controversy for more than a week.
The account, which is known for reposting videos of radical left-wing activists on TikTok and other social media platforms, crossed the 1 million follower threshold Tuesday afternoon. The owner of the account posted a screenshot of her follower count, teasing the Washington Post and reporter Taylor Lorenz, who wrote the story revealing the identity of the woman behind the account. “So grateful to @TaylorLorenz and WaPo for helping me achieve this huge milestone! Is there an address I can send a thank you card @washingtonpost?” Libs of TikTok posted.
So grateful to @TaylorLorenz and WaPo for helping me achieve this huge milestone! Is there an address I can send a thank you card @washingtonpost? pic.twitter.com/hLGPwn219q
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 26, 2022
Libs of TikTok followed that tweet with another one mocking Lorenz for inadvertently helping the account achieve the milestone.
Live snapshot of Taylor as she realizes she helped get me to 1M followers. Thanks Tay! 😚 pic.twitter.com/SZ7jj8QIV2
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 26, 2022
Twitter users reacted to the tweet, with many offering words of congratulations and several pointing out that the account’s rapid follower growth is an example of the “Streisand effect,” where an attempt to censor someone instead draws more attention to that person. Notable reactions included:
- Claude Thompson, Fox News homepage editor: “Musk’s purchase of Twitter like the week after the WaPo hit piece so Libs of TikTok probably won’t get suspended again sounds like karmic justice to me, tbh.”
- Greg Pollowitz, Twitchy.com editor: “Good job, @washingtonpost. A few more promoted tweets might get her to 1.25 million.”
- Avi Yemini, Rebel News Australia reporter: “Last week @libsoftiktok had 600k followers and was on the verge of permanent suspension when @TaylorLorenz doxxed the owner for being “too large and directing public discourse.” Now it has 1M followers thanks to the article and is here to stay thanks to Elon Musk. Delicious.”
- Joe Kelley, radio talk show host: “One of my favorite laws – the law of unintended consequences. And the Streisand Principle is also at play here.”
- Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Fox News media reporter: “@libsoftiktok now has over 1 million Twitter followers after The Washington Post ran its story about the account. Just a week ago, Taylor Lorenz wrote Libs of TikTok had “more than 648,000 Twitter followers.”
- Andrew Sullivan, former New York Times journalist: “One reason may be the WaPo’s decision not to link to any of the content it was criticizing. To understand the story at all, you had to go to @libsoftiktok because the WaPo believes in hiding reality from its readers.”
Lorenz recently published the article in the Washington Post that resulted in critics accusing her of “doxxing” the woman who runs Libs of TikTok. The reporter claimed that the account has a “deep and far-reaching” impact on discourse and plays a role in “shaping right-wing media, impacting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and influencing millions by posting viral videos aimed at inciting outrage among the right.” The woman, whom The Daily Wire is not naming out of respect for her privacy, said she was inundated with death threats from left-wingers but later posted on Twitter that she was “holed up in a safe location.” Lorenz was also harshly criticized for inadvertently directing a number of threats to another woman with the same name as the Libs of TikTok owner and reportedly visiting the homes of the woman’s family members.