NANTUCKET, Mass.—When Kylie Swanson set foot on this island for the first time in December, she fell in love.

The historic Massachusetts town, with its gray-shingled cottages and cobblestone streets, instantly charmed Swanson, a 36-year-old content creator from Oklahoma. What if she could share its beauty with her followers?

She signed a lease on a rental house in May, and the next month launched Camp Nantucket.

Over four days in June, the influencer hosted eight women in a rented cottage. For $3,800 per camper, the group enjoyed sailing, biking and dinner with a private chef.

The locals aren’t having nearly as much fun.

Swanson and Camp Nantucket have become the subject of gossip on the small island, where news travels fast. While Swanson sees herself as a democratizer of luxury travel, some locals view her as an interloping influencer who has disrespected Nantucket’s economy.

Several business owners, who make the bulk of their income during the summer season, say Swanson and her former manager solicited free products, comped hotel rooms and discounted experiences for her camp, in exchange for social media exposure.

Locals are “proud, civic-minded, resilient, philanthropic, adaptable…and salty,” said Ava Rollins, a publicist who lives on Nantucket. It’s the kind of place, she said, where “freebies are offered, not requested.”

Swanson also hired off-island vendors for her camp, including a Pilates instructor from Connecticut, a serious breach in a place where shopping local is a core value.

“It feels like we’re being infiltrated by someone who doesn’t understand the culture,” said Jen Reddy, a marketing executive and Nantucket resident.

A newcomer like Swanson organizing a retreat felt “a bit ridiculous” to Jen Fogelson, a Cape Cod resident and longtime Nantucket visitor.

Swanson’s social-media footprint, filled with blooming hydrangeas, beach sunsets and trips to the farmers market, has raised eyebrows. An anonymous Instagram account called the Nantucket Brief popped up in June to lambaste the influencer. In a widely shared Instagram Reel , Sanibel Lazar, an author with a family home on the island, dubbed Swanson the “Nantucket scammer” and accused her of “masquerading as a homeowner.”

‘Oklahoma money’

On a hot July afternoon, Swanson—tall, slender, and blond, with chirpy Southern manners—was sitting by one of the island’s historic wharfs, eating a turkey sandwich. She wore a flowy white top and gingham shorts with leather cowboy boots. She admitted she lives her life with a touch of “delusion.”

She said many people on Nantucket are perfectly happy to work with her. She believes she has a right to her own little slice of the island.

“The American dream that we all try to chase goes across the U.S., including Nantucket,” said Swanson. “I don’t think there needs to be a price of admission. I call bulls—t and if that pisses people off, I’m so sorry.”

The daughter of a car dealership magnate and a stay-at-home mom, Swanson grew up in Norman, Okla., going to a Baptist Church and says she competed in equestrian sports. “My family has Oklahoma money, but it’s not Nantucket money,” she said.

She met her husband, a petroleum engineer, at the University of Oklahoma. They got married in 2011 and Swanson became a stay-at-home mom once her son was born in 2016. During the height of the pandemic, the couple traveled the world with their son.

Through a website she found estates in England, the Hudson Valley and Rhode Island that needed housesitters. That helped deliver a sumptuous backdrop for content. But it also landed Swanson on Reddit, where “snark pages” scrutinizing influencers accused her of cosplaying as a Connecticut housewife. Swanson said she had permission from homeowners to post and that she told audiences she was housesitting.

“Sometimes people want to misunderstand you because it’s more entertaining,” Swanson said. “Now I wear it like a badge of honor.”

‘Didn’t understand Nantucket’

Over the Christmas season, Swanson took a job housesitting on Nantucket. A TikTok where she asked if she should start a camp went viral . When she opened up a wait list, she said over 3,000 people signed up.

“Girls want to come here but don’t have access to experience it,” Swanson said. “I created that.”

Shantaw Bloise-Murphy, Nantucket’s director of culture and tourism, said Swanson didn’t secure the island’s requirement for a special events permit. (Swanson said her application was denied.)

Nantucket is fiercely protective of its heritage. Houses must abide by the Historic District Commission’s list of approved colors. And there are social norms that “washashores” don’t understand.

Swanson said she took calls with some local businesses but didn’t book them because “they were just trying to pitch me their services.”

“What I clocked is that they all want control,” she said.

Mary Goode, a luxury event planner, was one of the business owners who reached out. “She basically asked us if we would plan the whole thing for free,” said Goode, 27. “It wasn’t offensive to me as much as I realized she didn’t understand Nantucket, and how we have 10 weeks to make money.”

Swanson said she made it clear she was running on a tight budget, but disputes that she asked for free services. Swanson said it’s common in influencer culture to request discounts in exchange for collaboration.

Payton Trieglaff, owner of the online boutique the Whale, sent Camp Nantucket about $400 worth of baseball hats and claw clips in exchange for social media mentions, but the group didn’t post during camp. It made Trieglaff upset enough to post to Reddit.

Trieglaff has since cleared the air with Swanson and doesn’t hold it against her. “At the time I felt that, dang, I spent my own money sending this product and I ate that,” Trieglaff, 24, said.

Several businesses refused to talk on the record about Swanson, afraid to have their name associated with the gossip.

Sally Obremski, the owner of the flower market Nantucket Flower Collective, said Swanson brought Camp Nantucket to her shop and paid in full.

“Maybe people are uncomfortable with her because she didn’t have an in here, and still succeeded,” Obremski said.

Trying to move on

In hindsight, Swanson acknowledges she could have moved slower with Camp Nantucket. Now she’s just trying to move on.

“I woke up one day and I just stopped caring about whether or not losers disliked me,” she said.

Her business doesn’t seem to be hurting. Swanson said she just booked a $33,000 deal with a wine company.

The next morning, as the fog lifted to reveal another beautiful day in the nautical oasis, Swanson was strolling Bluff Walk, a seaside cliff trail.

As she looked out at the ocean, she talked about her ambitions. She has organized camps on Martha’s Vineyard and Newport, and is planning more, including on Nantucket. “I’m actually looking at doing Camp Cotswolds,” she said, referring to the posh, picturesque English countryside.

Her lease is up in November, but she isn’t done with Nantucket yet. The other day, she looked at a home for sale.

Write to Chavie Lieber at Chavie.Lieber@WSJ.com