How a Toronto writer's tweet about Nicki Minaj turned into a chaos on the Internet

Wanna Thompson, 26, has long considered herself a fan of Nicki Minaj.

As a freelance writer living in Toronto, Thompson also sees herself as a cultural critic focused on hip-hop and, through her ideas, she has created an audience through her personal website and its social networks. So, when she posted a tweet last night on Minaj's recent musical direction, Thompson was hoping only to spark a conversation among the rap obsessed with whom she regularly communicates.

"You know how it would be dope that Nicki put adult content?" Thompson wrote to him about 14,000 followers . "No nonsense," she added with an expletive. "Just by thinking about past relationships, being a boss, difficulties, etc. It soon touches 40, a new direction is needed."

What happened next was a part of dystopian science fiction, and a part a daily event in online culture circles: Nicki Minaj's stans – or superfans – were attacked. Then, galvanizing them further, Minaj also intervened

in the week following the publication of the acid messages that she received directly from Minaj including the next album, Queen is expected release in August, Thompson said that she has received thousands of vicious and derogatory missives on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, email and even her personal cell phone, calling each variation stupid and ugly, or worse. Part of the anonymous horde included photos of Thompson posted once on Instagram from her 4 year old daughter, while others told her to commit suicide. Thompson also lost her internship on an entertainment blog in the chaotic days that followed, and she is now considering seeing a therapist.

"I would not want that on my worst enemy," Thompson said in an interview. herself "physically exhausted" and "mentally exhausted".

Such are the risks of the new media playground, which may seem far away, but still leans toward the powerful. As social media has broken down the barriers between stars and their followers (or critics), direct communication between celebrities and virtually anonymous has become the norm. But if reciprocal praise can make both parties feel hot and piquant, more charged interactions can leave those who have won the wrath of a star, like Thompson, staggering as enthusiastic followers take on the cause of celebrity

"Thompson told Minaj, who responded to his criticism after some of the rapper's 21 million followers carried the initial tweet to their queen's attention.

Minaj was particularly present in line lately, rallying his troops his new album, as the first songs of the project failed to stick commercially. (Of his two songs as lead artist currently on the Billboard Hot 100, none is higher Minaj and his team refused to comment on this article.

In response to Thompson, Minaj began obliquely, posting a list on Twitter of his songs that she considered ripe. But in a tweet the next day, Thompson revealed two direct messages from Minaj – most in a non-printable language – in which the rapper called it "ugly" and implored, "Just say you jealous I'm rich, famous smart, pretty and "(Minaj also criticized Thompson's characterization of his age:" I'm 34 years old, "writes Minaj, before correcting herself in the following message:" My bad, I have 35 years. ")

This was far from an isolated incident.The practice of" clap-back "celebrities has attracted the attention of influential gossip vendors like the Shade Room, and stars are often praised for hitting thousands of cruel and unfounded comments that they receive every day

., some megaphones are stronger than others. "Last week, Chance the Rapper left on Twitter with less of 600 followers who questioned how the rapper had proposed se to his girlfriend . "I am a person, and this should not interest him", the user, @Its_RianM, wrote after publishing the vexed answer luck.

Minaj's response to Thompson served only to unleash the Barbz, as the rapper called him. (A "stan", as in Eminem's hit in 2000, is the Internet language for the most rabid and loyal fanatics, the faithful who often gather in large online groups, tracking down their chosen stars – and their detractors – as if they had taken a According to Lady Gaga's Little Monsters or Beyonce's BeyHive, who won her own skit "Saturday Night Live", Minaj's Barbz is a particularly active force, grouping for, say, sending the rapper singles on the iTunes graphic.But when challenged, they can also hit with brutal force.

The incident also affected Thompson's professional life

Since April, she has written remotely as a volunteer intern for KarenCivil.com, the eponymous blog of hip-hop media personality Karen Civil, who also advises artists on social media and branding. Minaj is a client of Ci vil – a fact that Thompson said that she did not know when she wrote her first tweet. But Thompson's badessment gained momentum online that night, her signal was amplified by indignant Nicki Minaj fans, and KarenCivil.com told her in an internal discussion group of delete the tweet

. had been sent privately by Minaj. "If I had just posted the DM I received," Thompson tweeted enigmatically, "I'm going to lose MUCH. I want a career in writing and who will hire me after that?

Civilian stated in an interview that she and her staff believed that Thompson's tweets referred to their internal conversation and that she did not know at the time that Minaj had sent a direct message to Thompson. A few hours later, Thompson received an email from the site's chief operating officer, Christian Emiliano, informing him that his trainee position had ended.

Emiliano wrote that Thompson had been asked to be "respectful towards customers" with whom The email also stated that Thompson had violated a non-disclosure agreement "while speaking about a". internal incident and confined "(Thompson denies having violated his LDN)

Civil Minaj said he did not order Thompson's shot. Civil added that she contacted Thompson to calm things down and condemned the resulting "cyberbullying". "It's a very sad situation when fans take it upon themselves to say these things," she said.

As for Minaj's role in the dam, Civil adds that the immediacy of social media is "a gift and a curse". If anyone feels attacked, they respond, "she said, however," It's never just intimidating anyone in any situation. " This is not fair. "

For days, the ordeal continued to illuminate social media, raising questions about the interaction between fans and their commentators, as well as about a media entertainment landscape that blurs the line between journalistic coverage and promotion There was even a popular hashtag: #Istandwithwanna .

But Thompson stated that, while remaining true to his opinion of Minaj's music, she regretted not having it. I would never have publicized, I would have a lot of harbadment and my daughter would be affected, I do not think I would have posted her, "she said. defend and react to certain statements. But when you start insulting someone, you have crossed a line.

"You have a responsibility as a public figure to present yourself in a certain way," she said.