Because the Brazilian TikToker decided to disappear from the networks at the height of his fame

Ramon Vitor, 23, became a phenomenon on TikTok last year, with more than 13 million followers. But from May to December this year he did not publish any new content on the platform.

Ramon Vitor was at his home in Ilhéus, southern Bahia, last year when he realized he was being filmed by a stranger.

He had just come out of the bathroom, which is outside the house, when he noticed the presence of the paparazzi.

Incidents like this became common in Ramon’s life thanks to the meteoric fame he achieved with the videos he shared on the Internet.

The clips in which he talked about his daily life had millions of views. He quickly became one of the top Brazilian content creators on TikTok and was even rewarded by the social network.

Success was a childhood dream, but it’s become a serious problem for the 23-year-old digital influencer.

Ramon was at his peak, but family problems, negative comments on his videos and the invasion of his privacy by some followers made him succumb.

The influencer, who months earlier had participated in important events and advertised for big brands, was left prostrate at home without any prospects for the future.

“I was diagnosed with severe depression. I slept 16 to 18 hours a day, because all I wanted was to sleep,” he tells BBC News Brasil.

Ramon disappeared from the networks and followers were worried.

One of the most difficult periods of his life began.

He disappeared from the internet for about seven months. Now he is back, he says he has recovered and wants to travel the world.

Phenomenon on the networks

Since childhood, Ramon used to record moments of his life. He started posting videos on the Internet around 2013 or 2014, on the now-defunct Vine network.

He also has a YouTube channel and has been on TikTok since the social network launched.

But success only came last year, after Ramon moved from Guarulhos, in Greater São Paulo, where he was born, to Ilhéus, in Bahia.

“I was raised by my father in São Paulo and I wanted to be closer to my mother, who lives in Ilhéus,” he says.

In Bahia he began to live alone in a small house and for the first time felt free to openly say that he was homosexual, as he claims that some members of his family did not accept his sexuality.

“I chose my first kiss when I was 21, because I was deathly afraid of being who I was,” says the influencer.

In Ilhéus he worked as a waiter in a restaurant and worked as a video editor.

In the first and most impactful video he explained why he decided to move to Bahia.

From then on he gained more and more followers with clips in which he talked about his home routine, his job as a waiter and taught economical recipes. Her irreverent style in her videos has won over the public.

“I think in the world of the Internet and influencers there are a lot of people with an unattainable reality, you know? People are already very rich. I looked and thought: I can’t relate,” he says.

“So, I think a lot of people identified with the things that I showed.”

Ramon began to be contacted by brands to advertise.

“I used the money from my first big Internet job, which cost R$6,000, to pay the accumulated bills,” he says.

He has created advertisements for major brands, such as Casas Bahia, Latam and Fugini.

The young man has become one of the most successful names on TikTok in Brazil and was elected in December 2022 in an awards ceremony by the platform itself, through popular vote, as “content producer of the year”.

But something was wrong. The first signs became more evident in the same month that she won the TikTok award, as she embarked on the international trip she had dreamed of.

It was then that he decided to disappear from the networks.

The problems in the middle of the peak

Ramon shared videos almost every day. But he didn’t publish anything between mid-December last year and January this year.

The absence worried his followers. About a month later, Ramon appeared to explain that he had left due to family problems and resumed posting new videos.

On the networks he reported an episode in which he said he was the victim of an attack by his older brother. “He made a contract that I have to give him 25% of everything I earned and that I will earn for the rest of my life,” he said. Ramon said he refused to sign the document and was attacked.

BBC News Brasil was unable to contact her brother until this report was completed.

But the influencer’s problems were not limited to family issues.

She says she was also experiencing the negative consequences of fame, such as the countless offensive comments she began receiving about her appearance.

What happened to Ramón Vitor?

“When I started earning money, I wanted to eat things I couldn’t eat before and I ended up gaining weight,” she says.

“A lot of people made comments about my weight, and that bothered me a lot, because I was a fat kid and went through trauma from that stage.”

He was also scared of harassment from fans. His home address was discovered and the place became a tourist spot in Ilhéus for those who follow the influencer.

“People came to my house at different times of the day, until the early hours of the morning, you know? I lived alone, my house at the time didn’t even have a wall,” Ramon says.

“There was one time when I was sleeping and someone knocked on my window to take a photo with me. They even chased me on a motorcycle.”

He says he led a normal life until he found success on the networks.

“But, after (fame), things changed, I started living a really crazy business. And that scared me too,” he says.

“I was afraid to leave the house or something would happen to me.”

In the midst of these episodes he decided to build a wall in his house. However, many people continued to knock on her door.

“There was a follower who went there and asked me for R$30,000 to R$40,000. He was a stranger,” says the influencer.

“When I said it wouldn’t work, he threatened me and said, ‘Now I know your address, I better be careful’.”

These situations, combined with family problems and offensive comments on social networks, discouraged Ramon from continuing to record videos.

“I’ve always received lots of nice messages and displays of affection. I’m sure lots of people like me,” he says.

“But I realized there comes a point where you reach a lot of people and you can’t control it.”

Depression and panic syndrome

In May Ramon disappeared permanently from the networks. “It was all piling up. It was things in my family, bad situations with followers and the fear of leaving the house. You start to feel insecure.”

He says he has been diagnosed with depression and panic syndrome. He went entire days without showering and, at times, couldn’t even get out of bed.

“I got to a point where I, who had always been very careful and careful with my things, took three months to get my house in order,” he says.

“Sometimes I would lie down to sleep and a mouse would run by my side.”

On the networks, a question has become common among those who followed the influencer: what happened to Ramon?

On his profiles the influencer received numerous messages wondering what had happened to him. Several videos and theories have tried to explain his disappearance.

Ramon says he avoided looking at social media at the time, but became angry when he saw lies about his whereabouts.

“They also said I was missing because I had cancer.”

Back to the networks

A step at a time. This is how Ramon defines his return to social media.

He began to undergo psychological and psychiatric follow-up. She began to practice physical activities and resume her routine.

Little by little, he got better. “I started taking care of myself again,” he says.

Ramon says one of the things he’s most proud of was when he managed to finish cleaning his house.

During the period in which he was away from the networks he did not advertise. “I had up to three completed projects to do, but I canceled them.”

“I didn’t have any money in the world to pay for what I was going through. So I didn’t work for seven months,” he says. He claims to have managed to live during this period on money accumulated from his recent fame.

Ramon returned to the networks this week, when he shared a video to announce his return and talk about the problems he faced.

In just a few days the video had more than 12 million views on TikTok and more than 3 million likes. In the comments, many people expressed support for him.

“Actually, I never wanted to stop recording, because that’s always been my dream. I feel fulfilled by communicating with people,” he says.

“I really stopped because I couldn’t do it. So when I felt ready to go back, I thought, that’s it.”

Ramon estimates that he has since gained more than 1 million of the 13.3 million followers he has today on TikTok and more than 500,000 of the 3.1 million followers on Instagram.

He is still undergoing treatment and says he wants to start a new phase in his life.

The influencer says he wants to travel the world and share this routine with his followers.

At Christmas he will be in Finland, together with friends, to see live the sky dyed with sparkling bands of colors by the phenomenon of the Northern Lights.

“I also want to do volunteer work in Africa, teaching English to locals or looking for work with wild animals,” she says.

He says he has no intention, at least for now, of returning to Ilhéus, where his mother was responsible for taking care of his home.

“It’s really nice to know that things are going well now. People are happy that I’m back.”

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.