Friendships are often built on shared experiences, mutual support, and the ability to grow together. However, sometimes conflicts can arise, especially when ideas seem to overlap. In a Reddit post, a person asked if she was wrong for breaking up with her “Influencer Bestie,” who accused her of copying her content.
School Friends
The Original Poster (OP) and her best friend met in middle school when they were 11 years old, and since then, they have been inseparable.
They’ve had disagreements and friendship splits, but they always managed to come back to each other. Plus, they have recently gone 2.5 years without a fight.
Social Media Content Creators
In 2020, following a breakup, OP embarked on her social media and fashion content creation journey. Her friend also showed her interest in pursuing social media content creation. So they both encouraged and supported each other.
Initially, OP’s friend focused on food content, experiencing more significant growth and success than OP. She even began a series on eating alone that was very successful.
Being independent was a topic that they frequently discussed because it was an aspirational one.
So a few months later, OP started traveling alone, going to festivals by herself, and checking out clubs on her own.
OP was motivated by this to begin her own series about being a “loner.”
They Each Had Their Own Niche
As OP’s series developed, she covered a variety of subjects, including advice for traveling alone, taking pleasure in activities alone, and improving connection with oneself.
OP only did one video about dining alone, and she even asked her best friend if she should add it to her series or treat it like a standalone review of a restaurant. She suggested that she use it in her series to build her brand.
Aside from that, OP never paid attention to “dining alone” or restaurant-related videos explicitly. And OP never regarded it as copying her friend because OP believed their ideas were unique.
But things took a turn when nearly 8 months later, OP’s friend said she wished they had talked about OP’s series since she thought it was too similar to hers.
Stealing Her Ideas
She swears she doesn’t want OP to stop, but OP got the impression she does.
OP was surprised because OP didn’t really believe she was copying her friend. In fact, OP constantly nudges her friend to do things that OP believes to be good.
Furthermore, despite beginning her career as a content creator after OP, she has had far more success. So OP doesn’t see why her content became a problem for her friend.
OP says that since they have been great friends for almost 17 years, OP truly considers her achievement to be a reflection of her friend’s.
OP finds it difficult to comprehend why her friend doesn’t have the same viewpoint.
So she took to Reddit to ask if she was in the wrong and thinking of breaking up with her friend.
Several Redditors said that OP is not wrong here and that it doesn’t sound like a great friendship if OP feels like her friend doesn’t support her.
A Shaky Friendship From the Start
One Reddit user wrote, “Since you value your friendship, I would reach out to her and explain that she has inspired you but that you were not intending on copying her and that inspiration is not the same thing as a copy. And that you would like to keep the discussion open so that you both can create content in the future without damaging your friendship. No you owe her nothing, but in situations like this it is good to make a gesture.”
Another Redditor commented, “It’s understandable that she might be viewing you as a competitor. I’d suggest both of you comply with terms or something in order to protect your friendship and ensure your hard work isn’t in the drain.”
Ultimately, in any creative field, similarities in ideas and content are bound to arise.
So what is your opinion? Is OP’s friend right or wrong in this situation?
The post She Was Accused of Stealing Her “Influencer Bestie’s” Content Ideas, but How Original Is the Idea of Travelling Alone? first appeared on Wealthy Living
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Cast Of Thousands. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Reddit