A personal insult is a negative remark made about a person, usually made in a demeaning tone of voice, or when written, the remark is made using what are generally considered to be negative words, and the remark is personal in that it is directed at a person's character, personality, or individual traits, and it is meant to invalidate that person's feelings or opinions, and/or to make that person feel bad about themselves. The person's feelings or opinions are not disputed with logic or knowledge or facts. Rather, the person making the insult believes that by finding fault with your character, personality, or other individual traits, that they are then justified in dismissing your feelings and your opinions. In making the negative remark, they believe that they are effectively invalidating your right to express yourself, and/or they are purposely attacking your feeling of self-worth.

A buzz word being used to refer to creators and influencers forming or encouraging unhealthy relationships with their fans. Usually used in the context of young audiences feeling they have a relationship with the influencer due to the huge amount of the influencer’s content they consume. The influencer in question, however, is unaware of the fan’s existence other than the general knowledge of having fans. Common examples include Dream and his stans. These relationships are exacerbated by the influencers confirming they have more than a creator-to-viewer relationship.

The word is circulating due to various YouTube essays about the phenomenon using the word, and therefore people who enjoy complaining about influencers repeating what they heard in the video in any comments section they can find.