“Fyre Festival investigation sparks conversation about power of influencers” — ABC News, 2019, 8:28 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQMnyD8gIco
How do “influencers” create desire and drive consumption? This new profession has celebrities and other social media users with large followings post content related to brands, products, festivals, and more. A single post from a top influencer can cost a company over $250,000. The problem, however, is in the lack of disclosure over this new type of paid content as many influencers fail to mention their posts are actually advertisements. What role did influencers play in the failed Fyre Festival of 2017? Should they share part of the blame and responsibility for this mass deception? How might society regulate this emerging industry as to not repeat this type of situation? One thing we might be better off doing is to approach all consumption-based social media as a type of advertisement. Perhaps shifting our default assumptions from “genuine post” to “paid promotion” may help protect against shady business practices.
From the video’s description: In the world of social media influencers, the line between what's fact and advertisement can be blurry. The Fyre Festival debacle showcases a consequence of that system.