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Original poster

To wish I could become an online infuencer

95 replies

Habba · 03/12/2018 10:39

Even with not that many followers some are earning enough for a huge house, stay at home father, big cars and always on holiday.

It seems like such easy work for so much money!

OP posts:
Lost5stone · 03/12/2018 12:43

Who are you talking about? I don't follow any mummbloggers so interested to see what you are talking about

Flower777 · 03/12/2018 12:44

I would love the freebies! I love a freebie.

Conventicle · 03/12/2018 12:45

Well, jettison a few braincells and practice your vapid selfie smile, OP, and you'll be well on the way.

Aloethere · 03/12/2018 13:01

I have a big for me(25k) following on Instagram and it can be an utter pain in the arse.

I don't make anything off it, it's just me sharing a hobby. Never any pictures of me/my kids and I don't use my real name.

I am always considering shutting my account down. People are demanding and act like I owe them something for following me, I feel pressure to answer all their dms and comments and have gotten snotty messages when I don't reply quick enough for them. Producing quality content is time consuming(for me anyway). I started doing it for fun, because I love my hobby and enjoyed sharing it but I feel like I'm always questioning whether the bad bits outweigh the fun bits these days.

I can't imagine knowing that I had to churn out content or my bills wouldn't get paid. The fact that I make nothing off it means that I can disappear for a week or 2 when I'm not feeling well or have had enough and that's something I do more and more frequently lately.

Original poster
Habba · 03/12/2018 13:01

You want to talk to a mirror as you get so many freebies and have an easy life for good money if you flog enough stuff.

We can't mention any names here but see the families forum at tattle.life

OP posts:
Original poster
Habba · 03/12/2018 13:03

Aleo can you share your account? I'm interested to see real work. I'm guessing it's not selfies with a moisturiser or multivitamin.

OP posts:
Original poster
Habba · 03/12/2018 13:04

Also lots of the mommy floggers don't really have any content, they just do the same videos over and over again. I do think it must be exhausting with this fake persona they put on for videos.

OP posts:
AtHomeInFrance · 03/12/2018 13:15

Or detestable freeloaders as Deborah Ross in The Times called them last week. Really no problem with the Instagrammers, but really short in admiration for the ones who are blatantly shilling out their kids for a quick buck and those who trade on breeding/feeding on insecurity to make their followers believe we are all entitled to everything we want in life. We are two well paid professionals who could never have the lifestyle/holidays/house that some of these influencers have which is absolutely fine because there is no way I would ever offer up my kids to finance it all. Interesting article in The Guardian at the weekend about the perils of sharenting and what motivates parents to be so casual in their behaviour. Sooner this craze moves on the better, hopefully the next tranche of kids will have it easier than financing their parents lifestyles and egos.

AtHomeInFrance · 03/12/2018 13:21

What does sharenting pictures of our children online reveal about us?

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/dec/02/what-does-sharenting-pictures-of-our-children-reveal-about-us?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

Here, just gross. What chance do these kids stand in life. I remember one of the influencers (beloved by the Torygraph) revealing how her young daughter already knew about "likes" from an early life. Gross. Get a life, be a role model - just give your children back their childhoods.

Cakemonger · 03/12/2018 13:30

They're not exactly saving the world and a lot of the content is shallow but the more successful youtubers do work very hard, non stop. If you've ever done any filming or editing you know how much work it is. They also have to be on social media constantly. It is work - there is a reason people in offices get paid for managing social media for companies.

Personally I think it looks exhausting and I could never handle all the bullying and judgmental comments online.

Lost5stone · 03/12/2018 13:31

Ok had a little look at who you are talking about. What a load of boring shite! I think it probably is hard work though, they must be filming constantly to get that amount out, even if it is the same.

DonDrapersOldFashioned · 03/12/2018 13:34

I like interiors accounts. I’m a bit of an interiors nerd.

I live around the corner (literally) from an Instagram interiors person. In fact, there are a few around here, throw a stick in any direction and you’ll probably hit one. The lady in question has over 25k followers (and growing), not in the big leagues but big enough for sponsorships and advertisers to be taking notice. Her pictures are the same 5 rooms photographed over and over and her stories are very sparse. I unfollowed pretty sharpish as it was just dull, repetitive ‘content’. However, her ‘readership’ continues to grow. I don’t understand it.

It isn’t true for all interiors accounts. I follow other interiors people, some small fry ‘mum accounts’, some professional designer accounts, and they manage to include a bit more variety. Not just the same pictures of the same rooms, on repeat. 340 photos but they are 340 photos of the same 5 or 6 things.

Satsumaeater · 03/12/2018 13:36

Not sure I would like it. Read Karen Swan's latest book and then decide if you'd still like to be a social media influencer.

Akaudi · 03/12/2018 13:36

I make a bit of money on social media, I fell into youtubing accidentally it was a way to show my hobby and it kind of took off, I don't show my face just my hands and the comments can still be awful, Im always impressed with how thick skinned the people who put their whole lives out must be.
To edit the videos takes ages, then also got to do the thumbnail, tags, promote it across social media with edited pics, the algorithm changes frequently so you can be making loads of money one month then nothing the next, I still have my main job as its too unpredictable to put all the eggs in one basket, I wouldn't recommend it as a sole career, choose something your passionate about, share that and do it as a side hustle if you actually want to do it.

DonutCone · 03/12/2018 13:37

The one at think you’re talking about is horrendous. Everything is #gifted or ‘paid partnership’. I saw one post which was the most patent ad for JustEat I’ve ever seen, but it wasn’t labeled as an ad, just ‘look at me at my table casually holding my phone with a blank JustEat page in full view whilst I wax lyrical about them and # in the hope they send free stuff’.

I can’t believe any grown adult would fall for any of it.

DonDrapersOldFashioned · 03/12/2018 13:37

I recently unfollowed Bum. Every IG story is another far flung exotic holiday. I wonder do endless holidays actually turn anyone on to an account, unless the person is a travel blogger/vlogger?

ViragoKnows · 03/12/2018 13:39

There’s a SM “influencer” called Bum?!

TheLittlestLightOnTheTree · 03/12/2018 13:40

Umbumgo? Does my bum look 40?

DonDrapersOldFashioned · 03/12/2018 13:43

Yes, DMBL40

ViragoKnows · 03/12/2018 13:46

This is veey educational Grin

ohdearmymistake · 03/12/2018 13:51

I saw a program not to long ago one of the people included in the program was an influencer.
Apparently they were being evicted for non payment of rent and the state that the house was left in was unbelievable it was beyond filthy there was ££££ worth of damage, the dogs had never been let out for a wee or poo so they had done it all over the house, ( the lease said no pets).

Yet while she was being evicted she was still blogging and people were admiring the house she 'owned'.
I would guess it's all a lot of smoke and mirrors lies.

DonDrapersOldFashioned · 03/12/2018 14:10

I’ve just googled that, ohdear. What a mess. The story suggests she experienced an MH crisis that made it difficult for her to earn enough to cover her rent. It could be that the same MH issues contributed her being less than on the ball with the cleaning.

Jellyonawonkyplate · 03/12/2018 14:16

I used to follow Mrs Meldrum and then they reeeally started to grate. She is false, competitive and not transparent, he looks completely downtrodden.

Know what I did? Unfollowed.

That link to the forum you've posted above is positively creepy. The people who've posted pages and pages of analysis of the Meldrum posts sound obsessive. Very weird.

fruitshot · 03/12/2018 14:20

I recently unfollowed Alison perry.

I appreciate she has new babies, and yes, it's incredibly hard to give yourself to other children, especially with twins.

But...her night out, her twee date night with her eldest, which was apparently so very much needed, was an Ad.

It made me feel sad. It didn't sit right with me at all. I am sure the little girl is oblivious, but I found it very uncomfortable.

She's probably done others and had other occasions, but, that's not how it read at all, and I found it quite distasteful.

thisttoo · 03/12/2018 14:35

I completely agree Jellyonawonkyplate.

I ended up on that site a few weeks ago after seeing it mentioned on Instagram. Some of the comments on it are absolutely vile. People have looked into the absolute depths of MrsM's life, all under the guise of some moral crusade about transparency.

I too have unfollowed her because I just can't relate anymore and was starting to find her content disingenuous...but I honestly would not wish the obsession and stalker-ish posts on that site on anybody. They claim to hate her yet spend time looking up land registry sites for her house prices and obsessing over/commenting on all of her posts and videos! As if they have some sort of moral high ground; oh the irony.
If having that kind of online abuse is the trade-off for being an 'influencer' then they can keep it. But I don't think it should be and I think that some of the posts on that site are utterly disgusting.

Unfollow...and move on.