Xavier, a writer and life coach who uses the handle @xavier pretentious, has become a sherpa for anyone who wants to “level up” their class consciousness. His observations are laser-focused, and they hilariously hit home for many people, which is probably why his recent video has already racked up 1.5 million views. He captioned the TikTok bluntly, “How i [sic] can tell if you’re poor from your social media,” then he dove straight into the digital dead giveaways.
Honestly, some of his observations are spot-on. Xavier isn’t holding back, calling out things you might think are cute and totally harmless. The first major red flag, according to him, is the overuse of specific filters. We’re talking about the heavily airbrushed variety that dramatically extend lashes, give you unnaturally fuller lips, or, as he points out, apply a very strange, orange tint to the skin. He even used himself as an example for this one, noting that “the type of people who do this like to fight.”
If you’ve made it past the filter test, you might stumble on the bio check. If your social media biography reads like a three-paragraph manifesto, that’s apparently another huge red flag. He hilariously called these long descriptions the “Live, Laugh, Love” equivalent of bios. They’re always super long, he says, and loaded with random emojis. He gave examples like, “mom of six, traveler, lover, and it goes on for like three paragraphs.”
If you see yourself in that description, you might be unintentionally telling on yourself
The grammar issues are what truly seal the deal, though. Xavier notes that people often capitalize all of their words, use punctuation incorrectly, and over-share highly personal details. The ultimate kicker is spelling. He says that if you exhibit these traits, “A very simple word will probably be misspelled.” Ouch.
While these digital cues seem petty, they touch on a much bigger issue: class. Xavier is quick to say that there’s nothing inherently wrong with coming from environments where grammar resistance and overly emoji-hyped communication are the norm. However, these habits show “how your social class is ingrained in literally everything that you do.” Class distinctions aren’t inherently good or bad, but they are absolutely something that other people can “pick up on.”
The public reaction to his video confirms just how accurate these observations feel to many viewers. While some users immediately jumped in, calling out Xavier’s “digital classism,” a huge portion of the audience agreed with him. The top comment, which racked up over 24,000 likes, subtly agreed with the premise, stating, “I hate that I understand this.” Another user simply said, “Im afraid he ate.”
It’s easy to dismiss this whole discussion as just another piece of viral TikTok drama, but the truth is, class distinctions haven’t disappeared, even if they seem blurred in the modern era. Research confirms that a person’s social standing still plays a monumental role in their life outcomes. Think about health, for example. A person’s social class significantly impacts their physical health, their ability to receive adequate medical care and nutrition, and even their life expectancy, especially after the cuts to Medicare.
So, while we might all be scrolling on the same phones and using the same apps, what we choose to post can reveal a lot more than we intended. Xavier certainly provided some serious food for thought, and I bet a lot of people are frantically editing their social media bios right now!
Published: Jan 22, 2026 02:00 pm