Posts in category: Influencers

As U.S. lawmakers consider a nationwide TikTok ban, influencers in Central Florida are concerned about what that would mean for their wallets. If you follow foodies on TikTok, chances are you have watched Josie Maida’s posts.“I just hit 20.5 million likes,” she said. At 28, she has figured out how to cash in on those likes. “We were able to buy our house because of TikTok,” she said. “I also paid off one of my student loans because of TikTok. So last year, I paid a $30,000 student loan off in cash from money that I earned on TikTok.”Maida has over 215,000 followers. She said about 50% of her income comes from TikTok, which is why the threat of a ban is so scary. “It would be like if you heard your company was doing layoffs, you would be really nervous that you might get laid off and you might not have a job. I kind of feel the same way,” she said. A TikTok takedown would hit Maida’s wallet three ways. She doesn’t just post personal content, she also puts together videos for clients and for her own jewelry company. “Whether it’s my personal content or the content I create for brands or the content I develop for our jewelry brand, whatever it is, it would definitely mean a loss of income in a big way,” she said. Maida said no more TikTok in the U.S. would be felt coast to coast. “I’m just one person. But again, there are so many small businesses and so many local mom-and-pop shops that have found success and have been able to keep their business open because of TikTok,” she said. “If that was taken away, I think it would be really difficult on a lot of small businesses in our community and beyond.”Top headlines:Deadly fungal infection already detected in Florida, spreading at alarming rate, CDC saysRelativity Space launches 3D-printed rocket from Cape CanaveralFlorida man wanted for murder dies while fleeing from Port Orange police

Recently a number of influencers have come out with their personal experiences of online bullying by posting videos and screenshots of their messages. 

What Does Online Bullying Look Like?

The online bullies (aka trolls) were allegedly posting malicious lies, and bizarre conspiracy theories, and attacking them personally. Unfortunately, there were different claims of drinking and driving, drug use, fraud, lying, bad parenting, and animal cruelty. 

Sometimes these were comments left on social media posts or direct messages. Other times there were emails, including nasty name-calling and threats of violence. Sometimes there were even dedicated snark pages created. 

Who is behind Online Bullying?

At the end of their wits, one influencer allegedly decided to hire an investigator (in digital forensics) to track down the identities of their bullies. This person was able to take records of all the messages and emails including screenshots. Then the investigator was able to analyze and identify who was behind the ‘anonymous’ messages. 

Some of the influencer’s trolls thought it was a bluff. Someone thought it was just a publicity stunt. While others changed their username or deleted their online profiles. One person was genuinely regretful and wanted to send an apology email. Several others were anxious and worried about the consequences if their family or boss found out. 

One poster claimed they could find another poster’s identity without much effort. For example, they could click on the person’s username and look at their archived Reddit posts. By doing a reverse image search on photos of her dogs, she found a Tumblr account with her full name and location. 

The online bullies turned out to be a mixture of total strangers and people they knew in real life. Some of them had even posted positive messages using their real names and negative ones when using their anonymous accounts.

Online Bully Stereotypes

You might have a stereotype that an online bully or troll is an unsociable teenage boy living in the basement of his parent’s house. He’s wearing a hoodie, drinking soft drinks, and eating takeaway pizza. Alternatively, you might have the stereotype that trolls live overseas and are just trying to scam money out of you. 

The main bully was allegedly identified and doxed. (Her username was shared in an Instagram post). As a result, it’s likely she was forced into removing her business website and all of her social media accounts. However, an online interview she’d participated in was still available. 

The alleged bully was young and attractive with long blonde hair. She loved cats, vintage clothes, and cars. She ran a marketing company and won awards for her work. Other bullies were self-employed or stay-at-home mums. 

What is Doxing?

Doxing is when someone leaks your personal information online, such as your email address, phone number, home address, or social media profile. (It comes from the word documents or .docx file extension). (Sometimes spelt with two xs – doxxing).

Doxing is potentially a criminal act and somebody could be countersued for loss of income and defamation. 

What’s a Snark Page or Forum?

Snark is a combination of snide and remark. The term simply means sarcastic comments. 

Snark pages, forums, or groups can be found on Facebook, Reddit, and other social media platforms. Usually, the posters are just venting and whinging, but sometimes they can be posting gossip, rumours, disinformation, and malicious lies. 

These communities tend to be echo chambers filled with like-minded people. The posts tend to be one-sided and there is generally a lack of any healthy debate going on. 

I’ve read a snark Facebook group who were against a popular fitness influencer. It’s common for fitness plans not to lead to the results promised, and sometimes they are too hard for beginners and anyone who is overweight. So when a person drops good money on one of these plans, it’s highly likely they might feel ripped off. These once loyal followers had turned nasty.

I’ve seen snark forums against people who are citizen journalists and influencers on social media. They might be a group of celebrity fans who are supporting one side of a legal case or situation. 

Snark Moderation Rules

It’s common for these communities to have moderation rules. These might include rules like no armchair ‘mental illness’ diagnosing and no comments about physical appearance. 

For example, NYCinfluencersnark is a community for discussion and snark about NYC Influencers. Their rules include “No attacking other users this includes bullying, harassment, doxxing, trolling, hate speech” and “No body shaming or body snark”. 

I personally would not recommend joining or spending a large amount of time reading snark posts. The hyperfocus on one person is a tad unhealthy, and the negativity could become corrosive. 

When Snarking Turns into Stalking or Bullying

However, the real issue becomes when snarkers make real-life contact or harassment. Then snarking can potentially turn into stalking. 

Survivors of online bullies have described the experience as exhausting, anxiety-inducing, and painful. Online bullying is a serious crime and unfortunately, there are numerous cases where people have taken their own lives after being targeted by vicious online trolls.

Next time you post something mean online, ask yourself, “Would you say this to the person’s face in real life?”

Social media has become an essential part of our lives, and brands are leveraging its power to promote their products and services. One of the popular trends that have emerged in recent years is influencer marketing. It is a form of marketing that involves collaborating with social media influencers to promote a brand’s products or services. With social media influencers having a significant following on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, brands are increasingly partnering with them to create content that resonates with their target customers.

Influencers are individuals who have gained a large following on social media platforms by sharing content that resonates with their audience. They have the power to influence their followers’ purchasing decisions and are often seen as trustworthy and authentic. With their ability to connect with their followers on a personal level, they create a sense of trust and authenticity. This makes them an ideal choice for brands looking to promote their products or services.

Brands are leveraging influencer marketing to create sponsored content, product reviews, and giveaways that promote their products. By partnering with influencers who have a specific niche or demographic, brands can ensure that their message reaches the right audience. This targeted approach has proven to be highly effective in driving engagement and sales. For example, a fitness brand can partner with fitness influencers to promote their products, reaching people who are interested in fitness.

In addition to promoting products, influencers can also help brands to create brand awareness and increase their reach. Influencers can share content about a brand’s values, mission, and culture, helping to create a positive brand image. This is particularly important for younger generations who are more interested in a brand’s values than just its products.

The influencer marketing industry is on the rise, with brands investing more than ever before in this channel. According to a survey, the influencer marketing industry is expected to be worth $16.6 billion in 2023, up from $13.8 billion in 2021. This growth can be attributed to the effectiveness of influencer marketing and the continued rise of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

The rise of TikTok has been one of the major contributors to the growth of influencer marketing. TikTok has become one of the fastest-growing social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users. It has become a platform for influencers to create engaging content and reach a younger audience. Brands are now partnering with TikTok influencers to create engaging content that resonates with a younger audience.

Instagram, on the other hand, is the most popular social media platform for influencer marketing. According to another survey, 89% of marketers consider Instagram to be the most important influencer marketing platform. With more than 1 billion active users, Instagram has become a hub for influencers and brands to collaborate and create content that resonates with their audience.

India has also seen a tremendous rise in the use of social media and influencer marketing in recent years. According to a report, the influencer marketing industry in India is expected to grow to $75 million by 2025. This growth is being driven by the increasing number of social media users in India, which is expected to reach 448 million by 2023. Another reason for the growth of influencer marketing is the decline in the effectiveness of traditional advertising. Traditional advertising channels like TV ads, print ads, and billboards are becoming less effective as people spend more time on social media. Brands are now looking for new ways to reach their target audience, and influencer marketing has emerged as a viable alternative.

In conclusion, influencer marketing has become a significant part of the marketing mix for brands. Brands are leveraging social media influencers to create content that resonates with their target customers, driving engagement and sales. With the influencer marketing industry expected to continue growing, it will be interesting to see how brands continue to use influencers to reach their target audience. Social media has changed the way we consume information, and influencer marketing is one of the ways brands are adapting to this change. It’s clear that influencer marketing is here to stay, and it will continue to play a crucial role.

(The Author is a marketer with over a decade of experience in digital marketing and is based out of Kashmir. He can be reached at: faisalibnimaqbool@gmail.com)

The social media star walking 280km along State Highway 35 to raise money for the cyclone relief has raised nearly $50,000.

Te Aorere Pēwhairangi, who has nearly 180k social media followers, started walking from Gisborne to Hicks Bay on Monday.

Speaking to Breakfast this morning, he said his legs and feet are sore, but his wairua is “really good”.

Pēwhairangi has been stopping to share stories with people along the way and he said the biggest message he’s received from people is that they don’t feel seen.

“There’s been heaps of stories of you know, a metre of silt covering the road and two metres of water above that, there’s huge slips.”

He said there are still a lot of isolated communities with long roads ahead of them.

“The people who walk with me, they tell me their stories and yeah the main message is that they’re feeling forgotten.”

Pēwhairangi initially planned to walk for 10 days, but thinks he is likely to finish tomorrow.

“I’m glad I’m almost there.”

“I guess my main message is, or what I want people to know is, just remember that we’re here, we’re still here and these are the most vulnerable communities in the country and with these extreme weather events happening more and more, they’re hit hard and it takes a lot for them to recover.”

“I want people to remember Tairāwhiti is still here, the people are still here, and they are resilient.”