From the very beginning, Rome could be found online. Her father, Facepage, liked to post videos of her that would spread to the millions of accounts that didn’t understand how to operate the ‘Friend Delete’ function on facepage. Her first steps, her first words (“I has friends!”), and her first potty accident can all be found on the web archives. She had her own account by the age of 7 and thousands of people befriended her within moments of its creation. Her father was very strict about the privacy settings at first. Facepage adamantly warned her, “No posting your home address. No talking to boys older than twelve. And absolutely NO PHOTOS IN THE HOUSE!” Her profile image was all smiles at first. Cute, filled with friends and laughter. When the teen years hit things got quiet and she resorted to images of unicorns or when the mood hit her something even more androgynous. She stopped posting profile updates and stopped answering comments. Frankly, there are times when I wish myself and the other fans had more details about this period. Some of us think that she got burned out on the constant chatter of people she didn’t know online. Others think she became bitter at all the attention that came from the fact that they only talked to her because of her Dad. Personally? I think it’s just a cause and effect problem. If you didn’t do anything to get famous, how much can you expect to really care if it stays or goes?
