Popular American YouTuber ‘Nikocado Avocado’ broke the internet with a video posted in September that revealed the “grand social experiment” (his words) that he had been conducting for the past two years.

Nikocado – real name Nicholas Perry – is an American YouTuber who has been gaining a lot of attention, mostly negative, due to his weight gain over the years in his mukbang account (videos where the host consumes food while interacting with the audience).

Some viewers ridiculed ‘Nikocado’ for his weight – which reached 411 pounds – and on-screen mental breakdowns. Others were concerned that his weight would finally take a toll on his physical health. He was already battling anxiety and depression.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Nikocado Avocado (@real_nikocado)

On 6 September, he uploaded a video entitled ‘Two steps ahead’, revealing that he had lost 250 pounds. Perry explained that he had been secretly losing weight while uploading pre-recorded videos of himself. He said that everything was a part of his “grand social experiment” whereby he proves how cruel people can be and how easily they are influenced by others.

“Just yesterday, people were calling me fat and sick and boring and irrelevant,” Perry said. “People are the most messed-up creatures on the entire planet, and yet I’ve still managed to stay two steps ahead of everyone. The joke’s on you.” 

This was “undeniably the biggest plot twist in the history of the internet” according to many of his fans. People began praising Perry, calling him a “genius” and a “mastermind”. But is proving the fact that people on the internet are easily influenced and cruel – a fact that everyone is already well aware about – “genius”?

Amid his dramatic recent news, people seem to have forgotten Perry’s controversial past. The YouTuber has faked many on-screen mental breakdowns for his internet persona during the past two years. While it may seem harmless to many people, faking mental health issues can be hurtful and offensive to others, as it is something that they struggle with in their lives.

Everyone seemed to have forgotten that you earn money from views – It doesn’t matter if you like them or hate them, views are views. To certain people, any publicity is good publicity. “The weight gain is part of my marketing now,” stated Perry in his video “How I fooled the internet”. He has benefited from all the hate that he received – both financially and as “data” for his “social experiment”.

Perry had also posted videos claiming that he had had a heart attack on camera, when in reality, it was clickbait to advertise his Patreon.

Furthermore, he was diagnosed with sleep apnea, which is a disorder that causes a person to have trouble breathing while sleeping, and had to wear a CPAP machine. He then started to include this mask in his videos, under titles like “My new diet as a disabled person”.

These videos would get significantly more views than others, yet seemed to be more for self-advertisement than anything else. Whether his audience wanted to ridicule him or were genuinely concerned by watching the video, no one particularly appreciated being tricked.

Viewers expressed their disappointment in the comments about being lied to as several of them had lost loved ones due to heart attacks. Many people are victims of cardiovascular disease, and they should not be used as a marketing tool to gain attention.

Perry is not part of a professional research group studying human psychology, and it wasn’t a good idea to put his or others’ safety at risk for a social experiment.

In his video “How I fooled the internet”, he said that he went into it with the mindset that “In the future I will lose weight. I might as well get as fat as I can.” From a physical standpoint, his extreme obesity could have led to life-threatening conditions.

The internet is not a nice place – Perry himself had wanted to prove that, and all the negativity he received likely took a toll on his mental health.

Perry performs the controversial character of ‘Nikocado Avocado’. He is a self-proclaimed actor, and believes that a physical change for his character would be more convincing to the audience.

This has similarities with method acting, where actors fully embrace the role of the character, though some say it can harm their mental and even physical health.“If your process creates an inhospitable environment, then to me you’ve lost sight of what’s important. Method acting shouldn’t be used as an excuse for inappropriate behaviour – and it definitely has,” said English actor Will Poulter.

Losing 250 pounds, if done in a healthy way with the right motivations, is an amazing achievement that should be applauded. However, Nikocado’s “social experiment” has made many people forget about the YouTuber’s problematic behaviour.

Turning Perry’s weight loss journey into something inspiring for people pursuing weight loss would have been more meaningful. Instead, we end up with a marketing gimmick. Perhaps true “genius” isn’t about staying ahead of everyone, but using one’s influence to make a positive, meaningful difference.