Welsh social media star shares emotional update
Amelia Jones
A Welsh social media star has shared that recent changes to her account have left her uncertain about her future online presence.
Ellie Johnson, known online as Famous Girl in the Valleys and based in Pontypridd, has revealed she has lost the ability to monetise her account, leaving her unsure how she will manage financially.
She recently gave up her 9–5 job to pursue social media full time, relying entirely on it for her income, but her Facebook account has since lost its monetisation rights.
Johnson has built a following of more than 65,000 on Facebook, with her content regularly reaching tens of thousands of viewers, making the sudden loss of monetisation a significant blow to her income
In the video, she says: “I am absolutely gutted. I have worked so hard over the last two years. I’ve built every profile up to the best that I can.”
She added: “Basically FB (Facebook), another platform, has decided to stop all my monetisation.”
Her experience highlights the uncertainty faced by many content creators who rely on social media platforms for income, where automated moderation systems can have serious real-world consequences.
Johnson gained massive recognition online after her video about a delivery driver photographing her just in a towel on her doorstep went viral. It lead to widespread media coverage and internet fame for her relatable content.
@famousgirlinthevalleys Evri you do it every time munaaaa #evri #deliveryman #wales #famousgirlinthevalleys #comedy
She believes the cause of the monetisation ban was due to a photo she posted at a museum in Poland being labelled as hate.
In a follow up post, she said: “A photo I shared from a historical museum exhibition has been misinterpreted by Facebook’s automated systems. Because of that my account has even restricted and I’ve been demonetised, everything has been frozen.”
“…There is a possibility that my profile could be gone forever and honestly that breaks my heart after everything I’ve built with you. It’s not as easy as just starting again, it’s taken me so long to get to where I was.”
The ban also means that she cannot comment, message back or do anything with her profile.
Johnson says she has submitted an appeal and is waiting to hear back from Facebook, but admits the uncertainty has been difficult as she relies on the platform for her income.
She said the situation has been particularly distressing given the time and effort she has invested in building her online presence, adding that content creation is not something that can simply be restarted from scratch.
While many people offered messages of support, others questioned her decision and said they did not understand her situation.
One read: “Excuse my ignorance as an older person, but why would you give up a full time job to depend on social media for your income??”
Watch here:
Responding to the criticism, Johnson explained that her decision to pursue social media full time was not taken lightly.
She added: “People keep saying ‘this is why you should have stayed in a job…for security.’ Stay in a job that wasn’t filling my cup. ‘You shouldn’t rely on social media.’ Here’s the thing I have multiple incomes, NOT JUST FACEBOOK.”
She has urged followers to continue supporting her on other platforms while she waits for a decision, saying the possibility of losing everything she built has been devastating.
You can follow Ellie on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
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