This Reddit user asked “IRL friends of social media ‘influencers,’ what is it like?” and the answers they recieved are truly shocking
Ever wondered what it would be like to be friends with an influencer, ever wanted to know how the rich and famous live. We all share a morbid curiosity with the secrets of those that have it all. Well wonder no longer as a recent reddit post by the user u/superfuncity has created a space for the friends, family, nearest and dearest to anonymously share their stories and secrets of what it’s really like behind the ring lights and layers of brand sponsored clothing.
Approach with caution though dear reader, the truth behind the lives of and these Instagram celebrities and Tik Tok stars may make your stomache turn a little, and put you off some of your favourites for life. Nevertheless, here are a few juicy up-voted comments from this viral thread:
- “Awful. One of my best friends fell real hard into Instagram, and for a few years it was tolerable and understandable […] Fast forward a couple years, and she gets engaged. Boom. This was the catalyst for the worst of the influencer mentality to come out. I was in the bridal party, and it was a nightmare. No gratitude, just demands. Demands for expensive trips and expensive parties and all kinds of things that were above and beyond the means of her closest friends. And all the demands were because she had a “following” and had certain expectations to meet.”
- “I dated one. Not super popular but followers in the 100k range last time we spoke. I remember a lot of getting ignored and only receiving nice gifts/acts of kindness when they could post about it. Asking me to go to nice places (they didn’t drive) only to leave me on a bench somewhere while they took pictures. Huge strain on the relationship, especially when they started to get bigger and there was more demand for content.”
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“She hasn’t come to anything I’ve invited her to in 5 years because she only goes to events that “further her business.” Regularly says things like, “we’re all using each other for something.” Sometimes she texts me the same exact thing word for word over a couple of days, and it’s obvious she just copy/pastes the same thing and sends it to all of us and then forgets who she has sent it to.”
- “I’ve driven 3 hours, hiked one hour, they took a couple of photos over about 5 minutes and then bitched that they we’re ready to go home. Sometimes they will buy unhealthy, but ‘grammable’ food, take photos of them licking it, and then throwing it out. I also have a friend who when overseas will set alarms for like, 3am, to wake up and post their photos from the day at the peak time back home. I haven’t seen them for a while.”
- “I dropped my friend when she started to pursue becoming an influencer. We had been friends for 10 years. Best friends. Then she started acting weird. Wanted me to take photos of her where she looked like she was having more fun than she really was. She would buy an alcoholic beverage, sip one bit of it for a photo of her laughing while holding it, then throw it out and say it was gross and post the photo. I live in a tourist city, so she would come visit me, but she wasn’t visiting ME. She was visiting my tourist city to get good Instagram shots.”
- “Two of my distant cousins, they’re sisters, and are relatively well known YouTubers. [One of them] acts much younger than her age to get views and maintain relevancy, and she’s gotten very used to living a privileged life, so much so that she frequently complains about “how difficult her job is” when there is no doubt in my mind that, if it were to all disappear tomorrow, she’d be like a deer in headlights working something like a 9-5. Considering she doesn’t even edit her own videos or set up her own camera, she has hardly a thing to complain about, especially sitting in front of your vlog camera and crying to the people who are watching your videos and essentially paying your bills about how stressful your job is. I mean this girl literally has an assistant to fetch her coffee and salads (as if she has no time to do it herself, maybe having an assistant is just an “influencer” or “status” thing to do??). She lives a very spoonfed life, and seems to frequently forget it.”
- “My friend somehow thought that was influencer status and decided to copy me – except she quit her job so she could travel more and “grow her own brand”. In 2020. She lost her apartment, her car, and still hasn’t found a job, but calls herself a professional influencer all the same.”
- “not a friend of an influencer, but i am an “influencer” i guess. i have 150k+ on youtube. it was so much fun to start of with, but now all i feel is constant pressure. if i make one mistake, i could lose everything i’ve spent years building. i’m never sure whether new friends like me for me, or because they want ‘clout’. even tho my content is focused on true crime, and not me, having that many people watch you and comment on your appearance, the way you talk, etc can really fuck you up. completely distorts your idea of self if you don’t find ways to step back. having non-social media friends really helps bring you back to earth. and trying to treat it was a typically 9-5.”
Brrr, chilling stuff. This is a cautionary tale for the dangers of self obsession and entitlement, an almost dickensian look at the life of those with more likes than sense. Maybe an influencer may come across this post and have a scrooge like moment of clarity before they see their own name on a tombstone (metaphorically speaking). For more influencer horror stories and find out what it’s like to date an influencer, read on.
