Marina Joyce: Fans angry at claims sensation was a ‘hoax’ as YouTube star found safe and well

Joyce herself never actually claimed that she was endangered – and indications in a video that the whole thing was a 'stunt' appear to be the result of confusion

(YouTube)

Fans of Marina Joyce, the YouTube star that some claimed had been hacked by Isis, have now turned against her in the belief that the sensation was a publicity stunt.

Joyce became hugely famous after a video that some claimed was proof she was being abused – and in some cases that she had been kidnapped by Isis – was posted onto YouTube. That post has since been watched more than 16 million times and spurred a hashtag, #SaveMarinaJoyce, from people who were concerned for her safety.

But after it emerged that the vlogger appeared to be safe, well and in her own home, some have claimed that the video and its fallout was a hoax that was orchestrated by the blogger for publicity.

Joyce’s various channels have certainly done well out of the controversy. She has more than doubled the number of subscribers on her YouTube, and promoted other platforms like her Facebook, which was initially relatively small but now has over half a million Likes.

Some claim that the various things that triggered the controversy – the strange behaviour of Joyce in her videos, her liking tweets that appeared to suggest she was in danger and clues that were apparently spotted in her YouTube posts – had been intentionally created to cause the speculation.

Those claims were further boosted by a livestreamed video interview in which Joyce appeared to say herself that the furore was a “publicity stunt”. But she actually appears to have been suggesting that the publicity was being created by her fans – not that she staged the stunt herself.

The new findings still prompted some fans to switch from using the #SaveMarinaJoyce hashtag and post under #BoycottMarinaJoyce instead.

But many others pointed out that Joyce herself hadn’t ever actually said she was anything but safe and well, despite what had been claimed in the videos. The morning the news broke, police posted publicly that she had been found safe, and soon after the story gained traction Joyce held her own livestream in which she reassured her followers that she was fine.

As a result those blaming Joyce for the hoax - if it was – appear to be wrong, many posted.

Joyce did not return The Independent’s request for comment. Both Joyce and her mother have said in interviews that none of the events were orchestrated.