To start, I have no idea who Devon Rodriguez is, nor have any context on their popularity on social media. I am sure I have seen some of their videos just by virtue of being online but my familiarity is near zero. The same goes for writer Ben Davis, who wrote a review of Rodriguez's recent art show and got massively piled on his fans.

Fortunately, its not necessary to know who either party is to enjoy this opinion piece, The World’s Most Popular Painter Sent His Followers After Me Because He Didn’t Like a Review of His Work. Here’s What I Learned. In it, Davis spells out exactly what happened but more importantly provides the context around art criticism in general and how Rodriguez's internet fame is part of his art, whether he realizes it or not. It also touches on "parasocial relationships" - in which fans of a person think they are actually friends with that entity when, in fact, they are not.

It's a bit of a lengthy writeup but well worth the read. Soak it in and then go have yourself a meaty conversation with a real life friend about how weird the Internet is. It's so weird.