Speculation about an alleged affair between property agent Melvin Lim and influencer Grayce Tan sparked extensive online discussion, fueled by users scrutinizing their online presence and personal lives.
Online Speculation Surrounds PropertyLimBrothers Executives
On Jan. 25, a Reddit user on the r/SingaporeInfluencers forum inquired about rumors circulating on other platforms regarding a potential relationship between Lim and Tan. Within hours, users examined details of their online activity, including photos of the pair on vacation and reviews of their company, PropertyLimBrothers.
Lim, co-founder of PropertyLimBrothers, frequently posts showflat videos garnering over 20,000 views, while Tan has more than 190,000 Instagram followers. Users also shared images of their respective spouses, links to Lim’s past sermons on a local Christian blog, and Tan’s wedding photos. A six-minute video showing Lim and Tan leaving an office together was also circulated.
By Jan. 27, the discussion had spread beyond Reddit to platforms like HardwareZone Forum, Facebook pages, and Mothership. The Straits Times has reached out to PropertyLimBrothers for comment.
The Rise of ‘Snark’ and ‘Tea-Spilling’ Culture
The incident highlights the growing trend of “snark” and “tea-spilling” – the sharing of gossip – within online communities, particularly concerning influencers and celebrities. r/SingaporeInfluencers, which describes itself as offering “a real look at Singapore’s influencer culture,” has 46,000 weekly visitors.
“Tea-spilling” refers to sharing gossip, while “snark communities” focus on discussing the lives of celebrities. Similar communities exist in the United States, such as r/LAinfluencersnark (1.5 million weekly visitors) and r/NYCinfluencersnark (445,000 weekly visitors). Niche creators on platforms like TikTok and YouTube also often have dedicated snark communities.
Although gossip has been described as feminine or subversive, it is a universal social experience. Evolutionary psychologists argue that gossip serves as a form of social bonding, enforcing norms, building trust, and identifying those who do not contribute to the group.
“Were we not able to engage in discussions of these issues, we would not be able to sustain the kinds of societies that we do,” wrote British psychologist and anthropologist Robin Dunbar in a 2004 study published in the Review of General Psychology. He added that gossip is “the central plank on which human sociality is founded.”
Criticism and Concerns
A 2024 analysis by Columbia Journalism Review found that snark communities often call out influencers for deceptive marketing, undisclosed financial interests, and superficiality. The global creator economy was estimated to be worth US$250 billion (S$317 billion) in 2023, with brand deals being the primary source of income for creators.
However, snark culture can also be cruel, with users often criticizing a public figure’s appearance, dating life, and family, disproportionately targeting women. Comments on r/SingaporeInfluencers included disparaging remarks about Tan’s appearance.
Posts on the Singapore community frequently solicit gossip about specific influencers, often with an invasive quality. The analysis by Columbia Journalism Review notes that these communities “rarely do more than surface-level investigation,” relying on information already publicly available.
The online environment differs from real-life gossip, where claims can be evaluated based on personal history. Online, anonymous users often post unverifiable anecdotes, emphasizing spectacle and personal projection. In the wake of the alleged Lim-Tan scandal, users have been dissecting Tan’s appearance and discussing infidelity.
For snark communities, “anything – and everything – is fodder.”
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