Is Doja Cat Alienating Her Fans or Just Defending Herself?
Doja Cat has had a tumultuous relationship with social media throughout her career. On one hand, the California rapper used the internet as a launching pad for stardom. However, when it comes to social interactions on platforms such as Instagram or X, formerly known as Twitter, she seems to have zero qualms about going toe-to-toe with fans. In fact, Doja’s online conversations tend to get so contentious that it often seems as if she’s trying to alienate her own fan base. Either that or just defending herself.
Ironically enough, Doja Cat’s first taste of success came directly via social media by way of her comedic 2018 track, “Mooo!” The song, which finds Doja repeatedly referring to herself as a cow, immediately went viral upon its release with the self-made music video raking in over 3 million views in three weeks. From there, songs like 2019’s “Juicy” and 2020’s “Say So” made Doja Cat a viable act within the music industry. But in that, she was simultaneously met with social media controversy.
Doja Cat’s Contention With Fans Begins After Viral Accusations of Racism
In May of 2020, Doja was nearly canceled when a video made its rounds in which she was seen in conversation on internet chatrooms with several men believed to be White supremacists. The accusations of racism prompted Doja Cat to remove herself from social media for the better part of a month. When she returned, she explained she had “never been involved in any racist conversations” and apologized to anyone who was offended. However, plenty of former fans still took her to task. She clapped back swiftly by calling social media users “nerds,” and, in one instance, a “f**king loser pleb with micro c**k.”
Doja Cat’s Disdain for Fans on Social Media Increases With Fame
Her career continued to blossom over the next two years, but her propensity for negative encounters with her followers also increased. Fans raised concerns for Doja’s mental health when she chopped off her hair and shaved her eyebrows in 2022. She went off on her supporters in a scathing X rant as a result.
“I won a Grammy and traveled the f**king globe,” Doja tweeted at the time. “I’ve had a #1 and I went platinum. I make hit after hit after hit and you all want me to look f**kable for you so that you can go home and jerk your c**ks all day long while you live in your mother’s basement. Go f**k yourselves.”
Read More: Doja Cat Insists She Doesn’t Get Into Rap Beefs and Fans Are ‘Grasping for Straws’
Doja Cat Declares War on Internet Trolls
Later that year, the apparent disdain for her fans on social media continued. Doja Cat trolled rap fans regarding what style of music she was working on for her new album. She also lambasted people who continued to comment on her appearance. At the onset of 2023, Doja addressed her ongoing spats with keyboard warriors.
“A lot of people think I’m not good at handling trolls because I respond to them,” Doja Cat explained in an interview with Variety. “But that’s the art of it: I love to go to f**king war with trolls … If somebody wants to fight me on the internet. I will gladly join in, balls to the wall. It’s fun for me. I’m a very messy b***h.”
Doja Cat Feels “Free” After Losing 800,000 Instagram Followers
Since then, Doja Cat has gladly engaged in battle with her fans time and time again. She’s told her fans she doesn’t love them. Following one particularly heated evening on Instagram in July of 2023, Doja lost a reported 250,000 IG followers in just two days. When the tally of lost followers rose to over 800,000 by the next month, Doja Cat expressed a sense of accomplishment.
“Seeing all these people unfollow me makes me feel like I’ve defeated a large beast that’s been holding me down for so long and it feels like I can reconnect with the people who really matter and love me for who I am and not for who I was,” she posted on her Instagram Story. “I feel free.”
Doja Cat Leaves Social Media But Returns Even More Ferocious
In the wake of the massive success that was her most recent album, Scarlet, the L.A. rhymer left social media altogether in March of 2024, only to return in April with a vengeance. After about two solid weeks of relatively tame tweets, Doja Cat went off on fans via X on April 25. She blasted people who pay for tickets to her shows and bring their children along.
“Idk what the f**k you think this is but I don’t make music for children so leave your kids at home motherf**ker, ” she tweeted.
While it is very apparent that Doja Cat will not back down from engaging in social media warfare any time soon, it does raise questions as to why an artist of her status would intentionally go out of their way to bash her loyal fan base. At the end of the day, it’s highly likely that Doja uses her pointed internet clap backs as a defense mechanism against those who attempt to shame and insult her. However, perhaps it would be best if she simply leaves some of those messages on read.