If you’ve ever consulted with a social media expert, you’ve probably heard it said that one of the keys to building a successful social media presence is “authenticity.” Like a lot of things consultants say, being authentic sounds easy, at least until you try to define precisely what they mean by it.

Adult performer Missy Martinez’s Twitter feed presents a vivid living definition of social media authenticity – and her follower count (473,000 at the time of this article’s writing) reflect the trait’s oft-cited benefits.

YNOT recently sat down with Missy to talk about her social media presence, how she built it and the crucial role of her irreverent sense of humor, not just in her posts and tweets, but throughout every face of her life.

“I’ve been on Twitter for almost a decade now – which sounds way more sad out loud than I thought it would,” Martinez said with a laugh.

Martinez said she originally established her Twitter account to promote the scenes she performed in, boost her visibility, connect with studios and network with her fellow performers. But what began as a strictly promotional effort soon evolved into something more.

“I quickly began to realize I could use it for far more than just ‘work,’” Martinez said. “I started flexing my comedic muscles instead of just the muscles inside of my anus. It was and still seems to be pretty well-received.”

Use of humor on social media was a natural choice for Missy – if it can reasonably be described as a “choice,” that is.

“I definitely use humor in almost every aspect of my daily life,” Martinez told YNOT. “I have severe depression and my life’s motto is ‘If you’re not laughing, you’re crying.’ I try to live my life to the best of my abilities while keeping that in the back of my head. Even if there are days I’m at my darkest, I still actively try to make others laugh at the very minimum, especially when I’m in those depths of despair. Who doesn’t want to laugh?”

It’s a good question – and anyone who doesn’t want to laugh should probably steer clear of Martinez’s Twitter feed.

None of the characters in GOT acknowledge the fact that Bran knows, will know, has seen and will see everytime they jerk off

— Missy Martinez (@MissyXMartinez) April 22, 2019

Naturally, having a strong social media presence isn’t all fun and games. Like any other high-profile social media personality, in getting her message in front of a large audience, Martinez has attracted plenty of unwanted attention in the process. Unlike some of her thin-skinned social media peers, however, Missy takes the trolls in stride. What’s her secret? Just ignore the bastards.

“I have my fair share of trolls,” she said. “I seldom give them any attention these days and by doing so I’ve noticed a drastic decline in them. Negative attention is still attention. Deny them any form of it at all and you win.”

Happily, the trolls who try (unsuccessfully) to get under her skin are greatly outnumbered by far friendlier and more supportive voices.

“99% of my social media interactions are surprisingly positive,” Martinez said. “Most of my fan base has been following me for quite some time and are aware of my sense of humor and knack for sarcasm and engage with me in a way I appreciate. I’m a huge fan of manatee and mozzarella sticks so when I open up my twitter page in the morning, I see pics of those things my fans have posted for me.”

It’s a form of support and attention Missy appreciates even more than hearing how much people enjoy her adult entertainment work.

“It’s refreshing to be seen as someone more than a fantasy character they jerk off to,” she told YNOT. “I’ve actually become great friends with people I’ve only known in the virtual world. The internet has a crazy way of bringing strangers together. It’s glorious.”

Another facet of her personality which has resonated with fans is Missy’s affection for gaming – although as she revealed in a recent post for Fanbyte, she no longer feels the same passion for gaming she once did. Make no mistake, though; Martinez hasn’t set gaming aside lightly. In a tweet linking off to the article, she referred to the Fanbyte piece as “one of the emotionally hardest pieces I’ve ever had to write.”

One of the emotionally hardest pieces I’ve ever had to write. “ How I Fell Out Of Love With Games” Thank you ⁦@merrittk⁩ for the opportunity and platform https://t.co/aEJ9eAhfm1

— Missy Martinez (@MissyXMartinez) April 25, 2019

It’s easy to see why Missy’s past discussions and posts about gaming struck a chord with other gamers.

Asked which games had struck her fancy over the years, Missy provided a list which should inspire satisfied nodding from connoisseurs of action role-playing games.

“My all-time favorite game franchise is Fallout,” Martinez told YNOT. “That game defined me as a gamer and set the bar for other games I’d subsequently play. The immersion of the world, the story line and dialogue options left me craving more. I also really enjoyed Bioshock, Bayonetta, The Last of Us, Until Dawn and Red Dead Redemption to name a few. An obscure game I fell in love with was a scrolling game called Castle Crashers – adorable graphics and high replay-ability.”

Now that she’s spending less time gaming and recently announced she’ll soon be retiring from doing adult entertainment work, Missy has more time to dedicate to other pursuits. Don’t expect her to set aside her trademark humor in the bargain, though. Asked what other projects and hobbies she might have that are keeping her busy now, she replied: “Does alcohol count as a hobby?”

“Lately I’ve been turning to more creative outlets, such as working on my comedy sets or writing pieces for websites and magazines,” Martinez said. “It’s helped me immensely creatively and has been a great substitute from disemboweling pixelated enemies!”

Images provided by Missy Martinez