Influencer ethics on Instagram 2

[MadameGrizzly]

It appears we haven't quite finished workshopping the ethical issues of 'influencing' on Instagram: disclose of advertising, the exploitation of minors and the similarities to MLM schemes.

Cady give it a while, you'll have them on mute too! I found them quite annoying after a while.

MP's stories today! Spreads positivity but without the need to self promote/get adoration/incite bitching.
She can be funny and real.
And PP managed to do a pampers ad with no children present!

if you click through them does it show you as watching them

Yes, but someone with thousands of followers is unlikely to look at their list of who's watched their stories but it definitely counts as being watched for their engagement rates.

MadameGrizzly was this the inspiration for your threads? Interesting read:

medium.com/@caliberi/ethical-and-legal-considerations-of-influencer-marketing-a-guide-4037923663d7

@pavlovaprincess thanks, I was more thinking of the smaller accounts who I know check who watches them and find it a bit embarrassing I follow one lady who seems so lovely but her stories are so hard to watch! She gets the timing wrong and repeats herself and over exaggerates reaction and now she'll think I'm an avid watcher!

This is Laura Hesketh's story today. After saying that MOD's #shameonkim wasn't nice (in a really reasonable way) she is now being 'bullied' by people. Looks like they didn't get the #bekind memo. #dearinstagram

Please would any of you send her a nice message.

Nooooo, it wasn't NeverWas. I was trying to summarise posters' frustration from the previous threads. I don't think anyone straight out hates influencers, but they are certainly troubled by them. It looks like an interesting read and it helps to clarify what we are discussing: peer influencers.

Each time celebrity influencers have been brought into the discussion no one has been really interested. Some of the peer influencers seem to be slipping towards 'authoritative influencing'. (I wonder if that could also be labelled Woo Influencing?)

I think peer influencing, once the ethics are questioned, is most problematic because of the relationship building aspect. Finding out your buddy on IG, who even answered your DM, is actually a hawker is a bit of a violation.

The comments under SMSs post are sort of astonishing.

MadameGrizzly It is so interesting isn't it. When I found the article, I thought it would mention children, but it is looking at ethics in a different way.

The ethics of peer marketing are the most troublesome aren't they as they are the most potentially insidious. I am amazed that the ASA hasn't regulated more heavily here, given that the law is so much stricter in other countries. There is a benchmark set elsewhere i.e. The USA.

The cracks are showing in peer influencing as some influencers are rebelling against peer consumers' questioning of them. Is that because influencers are more likely to have narcissistic personality traits, by the nature of their job? They are perfectly nice people until they are crossed. Some don't seem to understand that their followers in effect DO pay their bills and therefore are entitled to challenge them, especially if they consider the influencers' methods unethical.

Just looked at CB's story - is her message really that we must be supportive or be quiet? Is there really no place for disagreement on Instagram? She can swear but the rest of us must play nice? The dissent I saw on MoD's page was valid, polite and non personal ...... why not just engage with it, show some proper knowledge of the subject and have, er, a conversation!

The dissent I have seen has all been very polite. The responses....well. Wow. I had another read of some of the comments on MODs post this morning as some of the arguments are still going on, a few people are asking why comments have been deleted and lots of her followers are now falling back on the argument that Instagram is deleting comments 🤦🏼‍♀️. Their unquestioning adoration is slightly disturbing.

SMS's comments. Well. Her followers have some sort of critical thinking or comprehension gap occurring: I believe influencing as a career path is fundamentally unethical, therefore there's a high probability I won't be jealous of an influencer's career.

They are perfectly nice people until they are crossed.

That's a very salient point. See above.

I'm going to read the article more carefully.

I think SMS's post is more about her own cognitive dissonance than any comments she may have read about blogging (especially on IG, which must be where she spends most of her time, because any comments there are overwhelmingly positive).

Sorry, but I can't work out who SMS is?

SMS=StylemeSunday

The women who has called out the surrogate comment on MODs last Instagram post is getting shreds, she’s not giving up though

Sorry, who is SMS?

Scrap that, read the above message

Ah yes, yeah i saw her post yesterday.

Laura Hesketh has the measure doesn't she? Brave though going against MOD and her minions like that isn't she?

It's true though - MOD going on about the need for 'uncomfortable conversations' but not actually wanting to say anything uncomfortable when pushed. It was only because that book about race is everywhere on Instagram at the moment that she even read it.

And I did wonder if several mentions of that book by Juno Dawson was a passive aggressive swipe at Mumsnet's 'transphobia'.

The adoration is a whole new thing. And if I think about what I’d like the world to look like for my dc. No I don’t want that. I don’t them to be following and over the top adoring like that, or to feel they have to have it to feel validated and good.

Its moving in a direction I don’t actually want for them. So it’s good to chat about it in here.

Why do people do it, it is slightly disturbing I agree

Totally different types of backgrounds, but the adoration for Alfie Evans by his army seemed to be what caused a lot of the disturbances.

Uncritical, mass adoration isn't A Good Thing. Someone noted the adoration floodgates were opened with Princess Diana's death. Social media has helped to keep them wide open.

I think a lot of the adoration aspect comes from other insta brands/influencers trying to get noticed or increase engagement.

BoomBoom I agree. It's often fake adoration - look how many are brands/have public accounts. The MLM identified by pp (Finks?) strikes again.

not least helped by the algorithm changes where for new or smaller accounts it’s the only way to get noticed.

The women who has called out the surrogate comment on MODs last Instagram post is getting shreds, she’s not giving up though

She's making some really good points and being called a bully and someone telling her to "go look after your disabled son".

Absolutely vile but strange those comments don't get deleted.

I'm sorry but I just don't think mod seems like very nice person tbh.