HOLR is chatting with AAPI digital maven, Vi Luong, to discuss her dynamic social content and growing community!
Image Credit: Ben Cope
Vi Luong is taking over social media. She’s unfiltered and raw- she’s exactly what the Gen Z audience loves!
The digital maven has a true passion for creating content. Growing up on platforms such as Tumblr, Facebook, and in the early days of Instagram, Vi noticed that there were no influencers that looked like her or represented her community. This is when she knew her long-term goal was to be the one who girls in the AAPI community could look up to.
Today, HOLR is chatting with Vi to learn all about her beginnings in the industry, her biggest accomplishments, her dynamic content, and why she does things a bit differently than most creators.
Image Credit: Ben Cope
Tell us about your journey to becoming someone girls in the AAPI community can look up to through your dynamic social content.
It’s funny because when I started TikTok right before quarantine, I didn’t do a lot of AAPI-based content. I started doing college content and transitioned into fashion content. The AAPI content came after I thought through my own experiences being Asian-American growing up. I also started therapy last year, which is when I started dealing with a lot of the stuff I witnessed growing up in terms of being Asian-American and not seeing a lot of representation anywhere. Growing up and having trouble not fitting in felt like a very individual experience.
When I started doing this type of content, I realized there are so many Asian-Americans, and those in the AAPI community, that were out there who have gone through the same experiences. That’s when I started to do more content like that!
Image Credit: Ben Cope
How did you know your true passion was in creating content? Plus, what can followers expect to see when visiting your social channels?
I originally didn’t know that I would ever be a creator. However, I knew I always loved social media. I grew up using sites like Tumblr, Facebook and had a passion for connecting with others and sharing my life online. I turned to social media as an outlet.
When I pursued my Business Degree in college, I did my emphasis in Marketing and took a social media marketing class. That’s when I realized social media could be a career.
In terms of what people can expect from my channel, I do a lot of beauty, try-on hauls, and some couples content. The dynamic between my boyfriend and I, I didn’t realize would be so intriguing. We’re also interracial so people can see how we interact and blend our cultures together.
People can also come to my channel to see my Asian-American experience. I’ve done some funny skits here and there!
You have an incredible social following! As a result, you were included in TikTok’s Culture Drivers List (a first of its kind) which highlights the top 12 best brand and creator partnerships on TikTok. Talk to us about this accomplishment.
This is super dope! This is the first time a company- let alone freaking TikTok!- flew me out anywhere. They flew me to New York. I previously did a campaign with Aerie (Aerie Swim in 2021) and it was such a successful activation on TikTok that we were included to be in the top 12. We did a series of interviews and how going about something like this works.
They also asked me about my background and my social media experience. It was awesome! I got to meet TikTok creators from all over. It was surreal and awesome to be included in something like that.
Image Credit: Ben Cope
Can you tell us more about the importance of “unplugging” from social media from time to time?
When I initially started “going dark” on social media during the weekend, I was dealing with a little bit of social media addiction. It came with growing up with social media everywhere and doing social media as my job. It was so bad that I couldn’t go 10 minutes without picking up my phone and that’s when I knew I had a problem.
I started doing this as a challenge to see if I could stop doing it and it became a recurring thing! I realized social media was skewing my worldview and putting thoughts into my brain that weren’t organically there. It really affected the way I put out content too because these thoughts seep in more than you realize.
I now go dark every weekend from Friday evening to Monday morning. Out of sight, out of mind! I take tis time to be present, like going out to eat, spending time with my boyfriend, etc. Then on Monday, I do a little rundown of my weekend and what I did! I love when people recreate this and we can chat about what we did.
Image Credit: Ben Cope
Published by HOLR Magazine.