Social Repose

About

Social Repose, also known as Richard "Richie" Mclean Giese, is a YouTuber, TikToker (@matriarchmothra) and American singer most known for his cover songs, reaction videos and cosplay, specifically his goth outfits in which he sports a Native American headdress and heavy makeup. He started posting content to YouTube in 2011. Since then, he's faced controversy, cancelation and dealing with the suicide of a crazed fan who visited his home. In 2022, Social Repose became known on TikTok, predominantly because of a Chrissy, Wake Up remix for Stranger Things in which he's standing on a picnic table and playing the ukelele in an emo or goth outfit. Many found the video, and Social Repose in general, cringe, however, he has had and maintains a loyal fanbase.

Online History

Richard Mclean Giese was born on February 9th, 1990, in the town of Cabin John, Maryland.^[1] He studied film and media arts at American University in Washington, D.C.^[1] Using his background, in 2011, Giese started his musical project Social Repose, posting his first music video to YouTube on April 23rd, 2011, titled "Helium House." Over the course of 11 years, the video received roughly 64,700 views and 2,700 likes (shown below, left).

On July 9th, 2011, Giese posted his first vlog video in which he introduced himself and his channel, Social Repose. Over the course of 11 years, the video received roughly 31,800 views and 1,100 likes (shown below, right).

In 2011, Social Repose was beginning to perform live^[2] in the D.C. area. In turn, he was growing a cult following online and in real life, however, from 2011 to 2015, the majority of his videos didn't receive over 50,000 views, only with a few exceptions that reached over 100,000 views. On January 25th, 2015, Social Repose posted a song cover of Falling In Reverse's "The Drug In Me is You," earning roughly 658,100 views in seven years (shown below, left). The video was one of many song covers posted by Social Repose in 2015 that boosted his channel's viewership.

On October 22nd, 2015, Social Repose posted a video that was his first viral hit. It was titled, "One Guy, 13 Voices (Alternative Rendition)," in which he used his singing and acapella to imitate the voices of famous alternative bands and singers. Over the course of seven years, the video received roughly 5 million views (shown below, right).

Goth Reacts

On November 21st, 2015, Social Repose posted his first "Goth Reacts" video, which later became his most notable reaction video series. This initial "Goth Reacts" video was a reaction to a BuzzFeed video of men wearing goth fashion for a week. Over the course of seven years, the video received roughly 341,100 views (shown below, left).

In the years that followed, "Goth Reacts" generated notable viral engagement for Social Repose. For instance, on January 16th, 2016, Social Repose uploaded a "Goth Reacts" video in which he reacted to Filthy Frank. Over the course of six years, the video received roughly 1.2 million views (shown below, right).

Controversies

Cheating on JaclynGlenn

On November 5th, 2017, YouTuber JaclynGlenn posted a video titled, "I'm an idiot," in which she talked about her boyfriend at the time, Social Repose, having cheated on her. Over the course of five years, the video received roughly 1.8 million views (shown below, left). Later on November 5th, 2017, Social Repose posted his own video in which he responded to JaclynGlenn's video. Over the course of five years, it received roughly 500,000 views (shown below, right).

Fans resurfaced a January 2016 video from Social Repose titled "Dear Future Girlfriend" in which he allegedly "warned" his "future girlfriend" about manipulating her and hurting her (shown below, left). On November 8th, 2017, Social Repose posted a video about his channel "dying" in that his subscriber base was decreasing drastically following JaclynGlenn's video. Over the course of five years, it received roughly 346,800 views (shown below, right).

Suicide of Arlene Cole

On May 28th, 2017, YouTuber Narlee Vlogs, also known as Arlene Cole, posted a video titled, "Narlee Episode | Social Repose Universe Meets The NarleeVerse | Drink #04," in which she vlogged her journey from her hometown to Tappahannock, Virginia. Cole was a "superfan" of Social Repose, and in some of his videos prior to mid-2017, he reiterated that he'd moved to a house in rural Virginia, never specifically citing his location but stating, "Honestly, if you make it out here, I will congratulate you and give you a glass of milk." At the start of Cole's May 28th video, she flashed this quote as the opening title card.

The roughly 28-minute-long video resulted in Cole hitchhiking to Tappahannock and searching the rural roads for Social Repose's residence. Ultimately, she found his home and knocked on the door, hoping for a glass of milk. She took selfies with him and met him, but in the end, she wasn't allowed to stay for long and according to her, Social Repose was more scared and standoffish than excited and warm. Over the course of five years, the video received roughly 9,100 views (shown below). At the 13:18-minute mark, Cole shows her selfie with Social Repose and then starts her discourse on how unwelcoming he was.

After Arlene Cole posted her video, Social Repose uploaded a video titled, "I Might Have to Move Out," in which he talked about Cole's visit to his house and how unsafe it made him feel. The video was later deleted by Social Repose, however, on March 15th, 2018, the YouTube channel The YouTube Archivist reuploaded it (shown below, left).

On December 17th, 2017, Social Repose posted a video titled, "The fan that showed up to my house is dead," in which he revealed that Arlene Cole had committed suicide. Over the course of five years, the video received roughly 1 million views (shown below, right).

Years later, on November 16th, 2021, Vice uploaded a YouTube video titled, "The Insane Loyalty of Fandom," in which they interviewed Social Repose, including Arlene Cole's suicide at the 13:47-minute mark (shown below). Over the course of 10 months, the video received roughly 793,700 views.

TikTok Presence

On August 29th, 2018, Social Repose posted his first TikTok^[3] video under the username @matriarchmothra. Over the course of three years, the video received roughly 1.6 million plays and 108,400 likes. Social Repose continued posting content to TikTok that resembled his history of YouTube content. For instance, on February 14th, 2020, he posted a TikTok^[4] that showed a transformation from goth to e-boy, earning roughly 3.7 million plays and 313,500 likes in two years (shown below).

Goth Sings "Chrissy, Wake Up"

On August 7th, 2022, Social Repose posted a TikTok^[5] video in which he's on top of a picnic table with a ukelele singing the "Chrissy, Wake Up" remix from Stranger Things. Over the course of one month, the video received roughly 9.3 million plays and 553,300 likes (shown below, left).

TikTokers and other meme creators started using the video in their own TikToks, mostly due to their perception of its "cringe" and its perceived embodiment of cringy Stranger Things fans. For instance, on August 21st, 2022, TikToker^[6] whatthe_fundip green-screened Social Repose into a school cafeteria, representing the first day of school filled with cringy Stranger Things fans referencing the TikTok trend. Over the course of one month, the video received roughly 32,300 plays and 3,300 likes (shown below, right).

Online Following

Over the course of 11 years, Social Repose has amassed roughly 1 million subscribers on YouTube,^[7] 2 million followers on TikTok^[8] and 66,000 followers on Twitter.^[9]

Search Interest

External References