When they say third parties should never be allowed into relationships, they rarely consider the ones who don’t wait for an invitation; they simply walk in, pull up a chair, and join the conversation.
This perfectly sums up the latest online drama involving popular Nigerian streamer Carter Efe, his ex-fiancée Elma, and controversial social media commentator Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).
From as far away as Morocco, VDM inserted himself into the unfolding narrative, publicly declaring his support for Elma. In a series of online posts and videos, he levelled allegations against Carter Efe, accusing him of emotional and physical mistreatment, claims that, as of press time, remain allegations and are yet to be independently verified.
According to VDM, Carter allegedly pressured Elma to dress and present herself in the image of the girlfriend of another well-known streamer, Shank Comics: a revelation that unexpectedly dragged Shank’s name into a situation it did not sign up for.
Not content with simply commenting, VDM went further to position himself as Elma’s public ally. He pledged to assist her financially in starting a business, encouraged her to explore live streaming, and even volunteered to appear as her first guest when she eventually goes live. Because in today’s internet culture, support sometimes comes with a front-row seat and a loudspeaker.
At this point, the question practically writes itself: Is VeryDarkMan merely offering solidarity, or has he become the most involved third-party social media has ever seen?