The Dark Side of Digital Activism: My Million-View Journey

🎧 Show Notes

Woke-ish Wednesday | Sassy Politics with Christi Chanelle
📅 Release Date: April 30, 2025

Episode Summary:
Going viral should’ve felt like a win—but instead, it cracked something open.
In this deeply personal episode of Woke-ish Wednesday, Christi Chanelle peels back the layers behind her first 1-million-view TikTok: the adrenaline, the trolls, the unexpected grief. This isn’t just social media hype—this is political visibility in a terrifying new era. From fears of being put on a Trump regime “liberal opposition list,” to the ache of missing her mother in a milestone moment, this episode is a raw and honest reflection on what it really means to be seen... and what it costs.

Available On:
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you stream your favorite shows.

Follow Christi:
📱 @ChristiChanelle on TikTok, YouTube, Threads, and Instagram
🌐 ChristiChanelle.com

👀 Teasers for Upcoming Episodes:

🔥 Female Friday – May 3, 2025
The Medal of Motherhood: White Supremacy Wrapped in Patriotic Ribbon
What do Nazi Germany and Trump’s latest propaganda have in common? A medal for motherhood. Christi exposes the terrifying parallels behind the administration’s push to reward women for childbirth—and why it’s about more than just babies.

🧨 The Monday Breakdown – May 6, 2025
Because the news should come with a trigger warning
From chaotic headlines to constitutional red flags, Christi breaks down the biggest political stories of the week with clarity, compassion, and sass. Featuring the recurring segment 50 States of WTF, this is your unapologetic news breakdown with real talk and receipts.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Wokeish Wednesday
• 0:50 The Countdown to One Million
• 4:01 When the Trolls Show Up
• 6:24 Grief Amid Digital Success
• 8:21 Finding Purpose Beyond the Fear

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to Wokeish Wednesday, where activism is messy and I need to talk about it. It's one of my favorite times because I can be raw and real and we're not necessarily talking headlines, we're just talking. We're just talking shit. I'm Christy Chanel and this is Sassy Politics. And this is Sassy Politics. If I look tired, it's because I am. I filmed this yesterday and I went to edit today because I'm trying to release it tomorrow and the sound is crappy. So here I am recording again, not exactly cute, but I'm here because I care. Let's start the show.

Speaker 1: 0:54

I thought going viral would feel like a celebration and it did, but it also felt like a countdown to everything to fear, to joy, to grief, to missing my mom so deeply. It knocked the air out of me and very unexpected, very unexpected. This isn't just about hitting 1 million views. This is about what happens after the viral moment, when the comments flood in, when the trolls start circling, when your name gets a little louder and rooms you can't see are and suddenly you're not sure if that visibility is a blessing or a bullseye. Let's talk about what it really feels like to go viral for something that actually matters. The countdown to 1 million was wild, was wild. I felt like I couldn't stop checking, but I never thought my video would go to the level it did. I released the original post about the Save Act on April 10th. I hit a million 11 days later, so it didn't really start spinning out of control until the 20th ish.

Speaker 1: 2:30

I woke up on April 21st. That morning it was a Monday and I looked at my. I looked at first of all. I had major notifications. It was plus 150 notifications on my TikTok. And so I open it up and I'm like what is happening? Why is my phone like blowing up on TikTok? So I look at the views and I'm like, oh my God, it's at 911,000. It's at 911,000. I thought I'm going to hit. I'm going to hit a million. Today. I felt like I couldn't stop checking Refresh, refresh. 978,000, 998,000, hundred ninety nine thousand. I had a literal countdown going on in chats. In my chats I was so excited and I just I was just looking for somebody to share in that excitement with me. You know I work really really hard, so when it hit I literally freaked out. I needed it, I needed it, I wanted it. I've been building this platform for over a year and a half, pouring my heart into videos and podcasts and posts and this felt like proof that it was working. But here's the twist it wasn't about a dance trend or a book review. This, this, was real life. This was about the SAVE Act, voter suppression, real women, real women being silenced.

Speaker 1: 4:23

I went viral for using my voice, not just my personality, and that's different, that hits different. For a moment, it felt like purpose was meeting momentum. But then the trolls showed up. And when I say trolls, I mean waves of trolls, some of them mocking, some of them cruel, some of them strategic, gaslighting me, accusing me of fear mongering, calling me names, twisting my message. And it's not just annoying, it's exhausting, it's an energy vampire. You start reading comment after comment and it eats away at your spirit, your confidence. I'm strong, but I'm also human. And some nights I was afraid to open the app. And some nights I was afraid to open the app Because I knew I'd see something that would make me question if this whole thing was worth it. But the real fear didn't come from trolls, it came from this nagging voice. What if they're watching now? What if someone is tracking the accounts that are speaking out against Trump? What if I'm added to a list, a real list, that this administration could weaponize. We're watching journalists get sued by the government. We're seeing networks bend under legal pressure. The regime isn't hiding its playbook anymore and suddenly going viral feels less like a high five and more like a target on your back.

Speaker 1: 6:24

Last year I held myself back from posting too boldly because of self-doubt. This year I'm holding my breath because the danger feels real. And then when that milestone hit, when one million flashed across my screen, I didn't scream or dance. Well, I did in the moment, but afterwards I cried, because every time something good happens to me, I feel the ache of someone missing my mother. I wanted to call her, I wanted to see her see this, to see me, to tell her mom I did it, I'm finally being heard, but she's not here.

Speaker 1: 7:13

And that grief came rushing in like a wave. I didn't see coming and, to make it worse, I couldn't even tell my dad, not really Not in the way I needed to tell my dad. He watches Fox News. He doesn't understand. He doesn't understand why I do this. He wouldn't celebrate this kind of moment and I knew that if I told him it might lead to an argument or, worse, a shrug. That silence hurts more than the trolls ever could. So yeah, going viral isn't always a victory parade. Sometimes it's a spotlight that shows you every crack in your armor and every hole left by the ones you've lost. But I'm still here, still talking, still fighting, because this platform, this voice, this moment, it's bigger than me and if I've learned anything from the grief, the trolls and the fear, it's that silence is not an option. So if you're listening to this and you've ever felt torn between purpose and peace, know that I get it and you're not alone. Love you, miss you, bye.