On one of her consistent segments on The Montel Williams Show, self-proclaimed medium and psychic, Sylvia Browne, is asked to communicate with a woman’s husband who she lost tragically a few years prior, with his body never being found. Before the woman can finish, Browne interjects with a “psychic message”, stating that he was never found because he was “in water”. The audience falls silent, whoahed by her powers… until the woman states that her husband was a firefighter who passed away during 9/11. What Browne called a “psychic misread” was actually something more ominous: It marked the turning point in which grief became entertainment, something marketable.
Despite Browne being critiqued heavily now, many still are able to get away with scamming the grieving for money… but now, rather than a talk show, it’s TikTok livestreams. One of these creators goes by the name “Psychic Natalia” on her socials, in which she amassed 5,863 followers, with her first official post on TikTok being in July of 2022. However, her psychic epiphany began much earlier, with her posting on Facebook in 2020 stating:
Once transitioning to TikTok, she began to go on livestreams and offer readings in exchange for “gifts”, which can only be purchased monetarily by those who want to send them. These gifts can range in price from $0.01 to $562.48 dollars, supplying many creators with their main source of income. On the surface, asking for “donations” for a service in return seems to be a normal business practice… but similar to Sylvia Browne, Psychic Natalia would manipulate her watchers with fake “psychic messages” in order to get money.
On one of these livestreams, a user named Karen French booked a live reading with Natalia and a one-hour long private session, which in total cost the user $113.00. In the French’s, it had information that stated that she was a 43 year old widowed mother of two children, that she was a nurse, and that she loved nature. When on live, the creator who is streaming is able to click on the accounts and view the information in their bio’s, which became very evident with the “psychic messaging” Natalia gave. Natalia began with saying how sorry she was for French’s loss of her husband, making assumptions about how “he didn’t have a long time to say goodbye, and that he was very young”, continuing delving into Karen also being in the age range of 30 to 40 years old. She then states that the husband gave her the following message, “Sweetheart you’re doing to get through this, you’re the best mother ever to our two children. You’ve always been a healer, you have a warm heart… but now it is time to take care of yourself. I’m no longer with you in body, but in spirit”. To an unsuspecting user, this reading would’ve felt profound, and even could have convinced others to purchase a private session. But, in reality, every “revelation” was taken verbatim from French’s bio.
Similar to her predecessor, Natalia’s act relies not on deception, but performance. Her livestreams are falsified and staged, but now in the digital realm. Like many performance artists, Natalia constructs a persona, stage moments of “connecting to the other side”, and rehearse language that they know connect to their viewers emotions. Art invites reflection, but the intent of Natalia and many other fake psychics is to prey on vulnerability for capital gain.
Natalia, in her later career, would constantly beg viewers for gifts, guilting them into donating by saying she was “going through a rough time”. The goal of the performance remained the same, but she began to make it increasingly apparent that the last thing she was on there for was to give people messages from their loved ones. Despite the internet opening doors for endless knowledge, it has also opened its users up to forms of exploitation that many didn’t even know they should look out for. From Browne’s era to Natalia’s, people are still fooled by these actors.
But can we really blame these viewers for being fooled? If you were grieving a loss, and someone offered you a “message from beyond”, many would jump at the opportunity… because it gives us a sense of relief. What makes these psychics so twisted is that they create an environment that on the surface, looks like they are doing good for the community, but in reality, they look at every viewer like a dollar sign. When grief becomes profit, truth and fiction are blurred, creating a minefield of fake psychics, tarot card readers, and “healers”, that draw in viewers through vague statements in order to fund their influencer lifestyle.
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This is such an important topic to discuss as the advent of social media has provided a platform for these sorts of hoaxes to flourish. I agree that you cannot blame the individual paying for these services and that rather you must blame the person providing them under false premises. Those in grief are so hopeful that these messages are true that they are unwilling to believe that they’re false. Beyond psychics and tarot card readers, I have recently seen an influx of etsy witches, a service where people purchase a witch to sway a certain life event in their favor. This is super interesting take on internet hoaxes as these witches do not join a live or call, rather conduct your wish with no accountability measures. I guess it is up to a consumer as to how they wish to spend their money, but these practices do feel quite predatory.
Great job on your article! I thought this topic was really interesting and something that can be found in every area of the world at every era in our history. As you said, grieving and loss make you particularly vulnerable, and if there’s a way to get closure or see that person in any way again, most people would take it. I think this “job” that people have taken on themselves can be genuinely found at every point throughout our history, which points to a really interesting phenomenon and observation about humanity: we like to think we’re in control. And I’m no exception; I know I thrive when I have control, and I have certain habits I enjoy doing because it gives me the reassurance that I am responsible for the life I’ve been given. But in reality, that’s not true. Life is fragile and can be taken away at any time. Death and grief showcase that, as you point out throughout this article. People want to believe that mediums or psychics can genuinely hear their loved ones because death is a big “thing” out of our control. This article did a great job highlighting how the internet exposes and makes people’s fears easier to manipulate than ever. You did an amazing job at highlighting the intricacies of this issue!
Hi Hailey, I have heard of Browne before, but I haven’t heard of the other example you gave. The world of psychics, mediums, and, I guess, witches as well, has been around for a very long time. In fact, I find it incredibly interesting and wonder how these people are able to speak to the dead, see the dead, or see the future. While Browne had her fame, it quickly dwindled, but it gave rise to others like her. Whether or not these people are truly able to see things others cannot, and whether or not people believe in psychics or mediums, I do not believe that viewers or customers should be exploited for their money.
Hi Hailey, I have heard of Browne before but I haven’t heard of the other example you gave. The world of psychics, mediums, and, I guess, witches as well, has been around for a very long time. In fact, I find it incredibly interesting and wonder how these people are able to speak to the dead, see the dead, or see the future. While Browne had her fame, it quickly dwindled, but it gave rise to others like her. Whether or not these people are truly able to see things others cannot, and whether or not people believe in psychics or mediums, I do not believe that viewers or customers should be exploited for their money.
Hi Hailey, this is an incredible light you shed on this topic of psychics, mediums, and I guess witches fall into that category as well. I have heard of Browne and was actually in awe of her ability to see her viewers’ loved ones or futures and give them an answer. Was she telling the truth, or was she telling them what they wanted to hear? That is a question that may never be answered. The world of psychics has been around for a very long time, and it has always been questioned; it is very interesting to me personally. Whether or not these psychics or mediums are telling the truth, it is apparent that people who may or may not have these abilities have turned to exploiting viewers and customers as a form of income. It is up to the viewer/customer to believe whether the psychic is telling the truth, but the exploitation of customers is just plain wrong.