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espite having an online presence since 2017, Neekolul, whose real name is Nicole, became a massive internet sensation almost overnight after posting her "Oki Doki Boomer" video to Twitter and TikTok early this month, gaining over 22 million views in a matter of weeks. Since then, Neeko's been meticulously planning the next steps of her career as a Twitch streamer and influencer while making the most of her explosive success. We had the chance to interview her as things began to settle down in the wake of her sudden fame, and Neeko gave us some exclusive insight into what the whole ordeal was like from her side of the story.





Q: Hey there, Nicole. We heard you were sick, so we hope you’re doing better. Thanks for giving us the chance to interview you amid all this coronavirus chaos. What’re you doing to keep busy these days during the quarantine lockdown? Any tips for readers?

A: Hi, guys. ^ _ ^ Personally, I’m doing a lot of social media stuff: TikTok, streaming [on Twitch] -- and because I’m home a lot and haven’t left the house in five days, I’ve got a ton of chores that I can’t keep up with, unfortunately. For anyone reading who’s looking for things to do, naturally, I recommend playing video games! If I wasn’t dealing with a bunch of social media stuff, I’d probably be playing "League of Legends" all day.

Q: Can you fill us in on your background a bit? Where are you from and what are some details about your personality/life outside your online presence people might be interested to know?

A: My real name is Nicole, but I go by Neeko online. I’m 22 years old, and I was born and raised in California and I recently moved to Texas. A lot of people ask about my ethnicity -- I’m Mexican and speak fluent Spanish, my streams are bilingual English and Spanish. My main hobby is playing video games and has been for most of my life. Outside of gaming, I like to watch basketball (my favorite team is the Dallas Mavericks), and, fun fact, I’m extremely passionate about the coffee chain Dutch Bros, specifically their energy drinks (plz sponsor me).





Q: Have you always had a big online presence or did you get into that after committing to it as a way to earn a living? What platforms or websites did you typically spend most of your time on?

A: It’s actually quite the opposite. I didn’t have a large online presence before going viral. I streamed and posted on social media for fun even though it was something I did want to pursue as a career. Only recently did I get the confidence to post more fun stuff like TikToks -- something I found cringe at first, but it was probably because I didn’t have the confidence to post one myself. Creating content like TikToks ended up being really fun, and while having fun creating this content, I came up with the "Ok Boomer" [video] that went viral on Twitter. For a long time, I pretty much solely focused on growing my Twitch channel, but when I started branching out into posting more on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, my online following started growing a lot faster.

Q: How’d you get into streaming/gaming? What else do you do for a living outside of that?

A: I’ve always been into gaming since I was little. It started off with a PS1 when I was 7 years old, and my love for gaming only grew from there. I started streaming when I decided I wanted to create content online, which was originally supposed to be YouTube videos. I didn’t have time to make YouTube videos, as I was in college, so my Xbox friends suggested I try streaming on Twitch. Streaming is my one-and-only job right now, but I also still go to college part-time.





Q: A lot of streamers have a character or persona they put on while streaming. Do you feel like you do that to some degree, or are you just your normal self?

A: I wouldn’t say I have a persona. My stream is definitely my own personality. I think when I get on stream and am focused on entertaining people, I definitely try to stay upbeat and fun, which is probably just a slightly exaggerated version of my real personality. I’d like to think I’m pretty bubbly, easy-going, and goofy in my everyday life, but I think streaming probably brings out those traits even more.

Q: What games are your primary focus when you stream? Do you have any personal favorites?

A: My favorite games right now are “League of Legends,” “Dead by Daylight” and even though I don’t play it on stream, a favorite of mine is “Oxygen Not Included.”

Q: More recently, you were thrust into the limelight after your “Oki Doki Boomer” video went viral. What was the inspiration behind that, and why’d you decide to jump on the trend?

A: “Ok Boomer” came to me when I saw a TikTok trend using the same song -- the trend was making fun of "boomers" who were telling young people how to live their lives. I decided it made sense to put a political twist on it with everything going on in U.S. politics. I just so happened to buy a Bernie Sanders shirt, so I cropped the shirt a bit to make it cute and decided to channel the spirit of the viral video "Hit or Miss" into the “Ok Boomer” trend.

Q: Once the video went viral, what was your initial reaction? Were you elated to see its success or a bit taken aback by the whole thing?

A: When the video first went viral, I honestly didn’t comprehend what was happening. I really didn’t expect the video to do any better than my usual content. I was honestly a mix of elated and taken aback -- I was happy I made something that a lot of people seemed to enjoy, but it was also a bit surprising to see some people get genuinely upset by a video I thought was fun and light-hearted.

Q: Were you already pretty keen on memes and viral videos or was that your first experience?

A: I’ve been into memes and viral culture for a long time, my little brother was probably a big influence here, as he always keeps me up-to-date with the newest memes. Also, being a member of the Twitch community, I’m naturally exposed to a constant stream of memes, so it’s safe to say I’m a memer.

Q: How did your friends and family react to it? What about your boyfriend? Was he happy or upset for you gaining so much attention online?

A: My parents are very unaware of what’s happening on the internet or on social media. I’ve tried to explain the situation, but at the end of the day, they just want me to enjoy myself and stay safe online. My friends are definitely enjoying all the memes about me, and they’re happy to see that after a few years of putting content out online that my work has begun to pay off. My boyfriend is very supportive of me, he actually works in the social media/gaming world, so this isn’t too jarring for him. There’s been a lot of mixed comments on social media about him, but he actually thinks it’s pretty funny. For example, people have flooded his Instagram comments challenging him to fight to win me over -- he thinks this is hilarious.





Q: What were some of the major impacts that the video had on your following? Did you notice a significant rise in followers or viewers on Twitch and other platforms?

A: I went from a pretty small content creator to relatively well known. My social media followings have grown a lot -- my audience on Twitter grew 14 times, Instagram by 11 times, and it tripled on TikTok. On Twitch, I used to average between 75–120 concurrent viewers, and now I have around 1,500 concurrents.

Q: Given that success, do you think it’s significantly altered the trajectory of your career as a streamer and influencer?

A: I haven’t seen the scope of that yet. I’ve had offers and collabs and such come my way and things I’m trying to work on and branch out to do. For example, there’s some YouTube stuff I will be working on soon, but it’s only been a week and a half since this all came about, so I have still yet to see what this has in store for me. As for impacting me, I have been a little taken aback from all the attention. I’ve always kept to myself and no one ever minded me, and now that people want to hear what I have to say, it’s exciting and new at the same time. At the end of the day, as a content creator, it’s what I wanted and I am grateful for it.

Q: As you know, the video subsequently launched a huge online discussion surrounding the term "SIMP" with many commenting on the video or making memes featuring you alongside the word. Did you know about the term before this?

A: Of course I knew what that word meant. I don’t mind my association with it. I think the whole ordeal is funny and should be taken lightheartedly as long as people don’t take it too far, it’s all in good fun!





Q: The “Oki Doki Boomer” video was acknowledged by PewDiePie on YouTube and the official Bernie TikTok account commented on one of your newer videos. How did you feel about that recognition, and what was your reaction?

A: Having PewDiePie put me in one of his videos and also as a thumbnail was insane -- I have watched PewDiePie for a very long time. He’s a YouTube icon, and having him comment on this situation was insane and I was very excited. It felt like I was living in a simulation! As for the Bernie TikTok account, Bernie’s head of social media reached out to me to collaborate. I was so excited that they trusted me to help the campaign, but mainly with the goal of getting young people to the polls.

Q: Have things quieted down since the video was trending online? What’re you up to currently following the aftermath of all that?

A: Things have quieted down to some extent. I think we are hitting a sweet spot [now] where the people that like me are staying and the trolls have had their fun and are moving on to the next thing -- so that's very nice. Before all this, I was already working on other things and where I wanted to take my content. This whole situation definitely gave me a boost and opened [new] doors. I have a lot of plans, and we are working on pushing my content further: branching out to YouTube and then working on other opportunities that have come my way. The future is definitely exciting, and I just want to do my best and create content that people enjoy.





Q: So what other memes going around lately are some of your favorites? Any you want to share?

A: There isn't a current meme or trend I can point to that I’m a huge fan of … but ones I can't seem to escape are the other versions of “Ok Boomer.” There were some versions that took the right-wing position or even made fun of socialists -- they made me cringe pretty hard, but it’s all in good fun and I’m glad other people were inspired to make their own versions.

Q: Knowing everything that happened after you posted the video online, do you have any big regrets, or would you post it again if you could go back in time to that moment?

A: I probably could have come up with a better caption for the Twitter video. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing. I really enjoyed making the video and the attention it got. If I could have brought even more attention somehow to the whole Bernie campaign, I would’ve, maybe even making the video earlier just to bring more awareness to his presidential run. I don’t think I’m a huge driver of votes or anything, but I think the content creators and internet culture as a whole can bring awareness to things like this. If anything of mine had to go viral, I'm glad it was this video.





Q: Any final word or additional info you want to add?

A: I just wanted to thank everyone who supports me and also Know Your Meme! I hope this interview gives you a better idea of me as a person. If you want to keep up with my social media, feel free to follow me.







Want to stay up-to-date on Neeko's latest happenings? Check out her Twitter, Instagram, Twitch and YouTube channel for more.

