DMs, Safety, and Parasocial Relationships

Hello everyone, hope you're doing well.

I've been meaning to make this post for a while now and it might offend a few of you, but I came to the conclusion that it would be better for me to address this now rather than later.

If you follow me on Twitter, I very recently posted a thread on the dangers of parasocial relationships and getting too close to audience members who actively support the work of content creators and the content creator's image. As someone who has been a content creator for a long time and who wants to build a community with her audience members, I know the dangers and the importance of establishing boundaries when it comes to these interactions.

I'm sorry to say this, but it does not sit well with me when people who actively supports my content DMs me, asking me about my day, what I'm doing, and personal questions that does not pertain to my content. Don't get me wrong, it makes me incredibly happy when my audience members take an interest in me beyond my work, but at the same time, I do not want to play into the illusion that the persona you see, Lune, is the same exact person behind the screen.

I always want to be transparent and honest with you all, but the one thing I will never do is put the safety and well-being of the people who support me in jeopardy. There have been many instances (behind the scenes) where content creators actively take advantage of their audience members' kindness and generosity and I'm not going to be one of them. 

So please understand this if I don't reply to your messages, if I don't reply to your comments, if I don't feel too comfortable talking to you all. I care about you all too much to let your safety be put on the line for something as frivolous as popularity. It's not worth it to me.

Just know that I read all of your messages and comments and I wholeheartedly appreciate them. If you DM or email me about work related topics or even have questions about the stories I write, I'd be more than happy to respond to them, but anything too personal, or hits too close to home will most likely not garner a reply. I've seen too much and know too many people who've been hurt by content creators, benefitting off of parasocial relationships and actively supporting it and I will not be one of them.

Thank you all for reading, take care.