TikTokers mock influencer's in-flight panic attack, others call spoofs 'unnecessarily hateful'
An influencer who filmed herself having a panic attack on a plane has prompted a flurry of TikTokers to post comedic recreations of the video, while others criticise these spoofs as "unnecessarily hateful".
The original video, which garnered more than 15 million views and was posted by TikToker @_youmia on Jan 12, shows her screaming on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight when the plane encounters turbulence. Three days later, she revealed that the panic attack was triggered by trauma from a previous flight.
However, many netizens accused her of being "fake" and "attention-seeking", prompting several TikTok users to create spoofs of the video.
One post, which received over two million views, shows @inxbil filming a "Full panic attack on my bed" where he reenacts the scene, complete with screaming and a calm voiceover.
Another user, @zek3yg, recreated the scene in a school canteen, with the post gaining over 903,000 views.
TikTok account @eventfulsg even laid out satirical "steps" to stay calm during turbulence — such as giving an honest food review, screaming at the top of one's lungs, and posting the video online.
The initial post quickly went global, drawing responses from users in South Korea and the United States, with therapists, people with anxiety disorders, and other netizens weighing in on the bizarre video.
On Jan 18, satirical outlet The Mockingbird also joined in, extending the joke into the political arena. The account posted three images referencing Leader of the House Indranee Rajah in connection with the ongoing Pritam Singh saga, but framed through the lens of the turbulence meme.
In the posts, Ms Rajah was jokingly depicted raising her pinky in Parliament — a nod to a line from _youmia's original video: "My pinkies up means I'm really scared."
The posts came days after Parliament debated whether Mr Singh should continue as Leader of the Opposition following his conviction for lying under oath to the Committee of Privileges — a ruling upheld by the High Court. After more than three hours of debate on Jan 14, the House voted in favour of the motion, with all 11 WP MPs present dissenting.
Tiktoker slams online mockery
This raised alarm bells for one TikToker, who slammed the parodies. "Honestly, shame on Singaporeans for being such internet bullies," @terrxteo said in her Jan 16 post.
While acknowledging that the influencer's actions were "exaggerated" and "annoying", she stressed that the online mockery went too far, and that Singaporeans were "unnecessarily opinionated".
"Since when was it okay for us to just mock someone and criticise them like that online?" she asked, questioning what value such posts add to society.
She also urged netizens to be more accepting, saying that everyone has done something "stupid or cringey" in the past.
'This just healed me': Influencer responds
The influencer, _youmia, responded in the comments: "This just healed me. Thank you kind soul."
While some commenters agreed that online negativity could be toned down, others argued that public scrutiny is inevitable once content is shared online.
In a TikTok story posted on the same day, terrxteo called out commenters who were "triggered".
"Just be nice la hor [sic], the world is already such a vicious place to be in," she wrote. "What's the point in making it worse for others?"
Stomp has reached out to _youmia, inxbil, zek3yg, and terrxteo for comment.
