Influencers

[QuietColours]

The amount of specialized academic support athletes are given at major institutions in the US is remarkable, and there is a very wide range of difficulty in classes

 

[cuuf]

I think it has little to do with the specific sport, its more a broader societal thing. In that regard, it is a sad societal statement that collectively we value the imaginary life of an influencer sharing their "real" life which is completely staged. In the end it is all entertainment, its just the distribution of entertainment is through social media apps. Real first world problems that people can make significant money doing this type of stuff.

 

[Kara]

I don't think it's a gymnast thing at all. My dad works with grade schoolers, and now when asked what jobs they want to have when they grow up the most common answers are all social media based, tiktoker, YouTuber, Twitch Gamer, etc. No one says doctor, lawyer, teacher anymore. And honestly, as someone who had the Olivia Dunne look in college; I don't blame them for taking advantage of it; if I could have made millions off of posting a few pic and short vids a day, instead of working my ass of to get a few degrees and a "real" job that now barely pays the bills I would have done it in a second.

 

[MaryClare]

I don't think it's a gymnast thing at all. My dad works with grade schoolers, and now when asked what jobs they want to have when they grow up the most common answers are all social media based, tiktoker, YouTuber, Twitch Gamer, etc. No one says doctor, lawyer, teacher anymore. And honestly, as someone who had the Olivia Dunne look in college; I don't blame them for taking advantage of it; if I could have made millions off of posting a few pic and short vids a day, instead of working my ass of to get a few degrees and a "real" job that now barely pays the bills I would have done it in a second.

Haha totally. The amount of free shit I was given when I lived in London was insane. And I don’t even do social media.

 

[JDB]

The amount of specialized academic support athletes are given at major institutions in the US is remarkable, and there is a very wide range of difficulty in classes

I knew some student athletes whose work was done for them. And they were in less time-intensive majors than I was. I attended a public university. Private Division I schools coddle athletes even more.

 

[tsarinajen]

The influencer is a byproduct of social media. Why shouldn’t you make money off of sharing something? It’s presented opportunities that weren’t there 25 years ago. If you work in a profession such as speech or occupational therapist and you recommend a product to someone — say sold on Amazon — wouldn’t you share that through an Amazon storefront to make money off your work? I’m in several Facebook deal groups and the larger groups have to be making a decent penny sharing these deals.

As for Dunne— she’s not dumb. Being beautiful as certainly helped, but she’s done a great job cultivating an image and cashing it in.

Do I like all of it? I don’t think it matters. Do I think it’s going anywhere? No. I think the affiliates with these companies are going to continue to grow. And it will continue to provide incomes for those who do it.

 

[JaJa]

Private Division I schools coddle athletes even more.

Absolutely they do and its not like its a big secret

 

[Laura722]

Did you all see Nastia is hawking Botox now? I'll never understand why so many women reach for this stuff. Anyways, I found this advertisement to be cringe:

 

[barefoot]

The influencer is a byproduct of social media. Why shouldn’t you make money off of sharing something? It’s presented opportunities that weren’t there 25 years ago. If you work in a profession such as speech or occupational therapist and you recommend a product to someone — say sold on Amazon — wouldn’t you share that through an Amazon storefront to make money off your work? I’m in several Facebook deal groups and the larger groups have to be making a decent penny sharing these deals.

As for Dunne— she’s not dumb. Being beautiful as certainly helped, but she’s done a great job cultivating an image and cashing it in.

Do I like all of it? I don’t think it matters. Do I think it’s going anywhere? No. I think the affiliates with these companies are going to continue to grow. And it will continue to provide incomes for those who do it.

I'll be honest and admit that I've purchased skin care products from Norah Flatley and Nevaeh DeSouza's Amazon storefronts! They have much better skin than me, so I figured it was worth a shot to try what they use.

I teach high school. Not many of my students are looking at "influencer" as a full-time job, but as a side hustle? Absolutely. We live on an island in a big tourist destination, and a number of my students already have gigs modeling for or being sponsored by various boutiques or surf shops. My Instagram feed is full of them - even though I'm not following the students, they're showing up on almost every local business's posts.

 

[Bogwoppit]

It is the modern version of being a car girl at a car show, lying across the hood and selling the "merch". The difference is that now the influencer owns the process and makes the profit. They are no longer someone else's commodity.

My son was a youtuber/gaming personality, and made quite decent money, but the toxic side of social media is not for everyone. You have to have pretty thick skin to deal with the opinions of others being thrown at you daily.

 

[SupportingHerDreams]

It is the modern version of being a car girl at a car show, lying across the hood and selling the "merch". The difference is that now the influencer owns the process and makes the profit. They are no longer someone else's commodity.

My son was a youtuber/gaming personality, and made quite decent money, but the toxic side of social media is not for everyone. You have to have pretty thick skin to deal with the opinions of others being thrown at you daily.

"They are no longer someone else's commodity." This isn't true if it is a parent run account of a child! That is really my biggest complaint with the "influencer" industry is that there is no protection for children... much like Holywood back in the day.

Who watched "Quiet on the Set"? I think in 10-20 years we will be hearing as bad or worse from some of the kids that are currently being used online.

 

[Caligym]

"They are no longer someone else's commodity." This isn't true if it is a parent run account of a child! That is really my biggest complaint with the "influencer" industry is that there is no protection for children... much like Holywood back in the day.

Who watched "Quiet on the Set"? I think in 10-20 years we will be hearing as bad or worse from some of the kids that are currently being used online.

A bill is making its way through the California legislature that requires earnings be set aside in trust for minors involved in monetized social media, essentially treating them the same as child actors. Brand influencing on social media is the same as a child acting in commercials or modeling for print ads. It’s a shame it’s taking so long for the law to catch up.

 

[ucrgirl]

"They are no longer someone else's commodity." This isn't true if it is a parent run account of a child! That is really my biggest complaint with the "influencer" industry is that there is no protection for children... much like Holywood back in the day.

Who watched "Quiet on the Set"? I think in 10-20 years we will be hearing as bad or worse from some of the kids that are currently being used online.

There was an NYT article on child influencers in the last six months. Some of it gets super creepy. (Young preteens accounts getting sexualized comments and grown men paying for pictures of provocatively dressed kids.)

 

[SupportingHerDreams]

There was an NYT article on child influencers in the last six months. Some of it gets super creepy. (Young preteens accounts getting sexualized comments and grown men paying for pictures of provocatively dressed kids.)

I have seen the reality of this in a family in our town. It is beyond disturbing what some parents will do or turn a blind eye to for a free leotard.

 

[Hatsumomo]

"They are no longer someone else's commodity." This isn't true if it is a parent run account of a child! That is really my biggest complaint with the "influencer" industry is that there is no protection for children... much like Holywood back in the day.

Who watched "Quiet on the Set"? I think in 10-20 years we will be hearing as bad or worse from some of the kids that are currently being used online.

We're starting to hear it now. Older kids of mommy bloggers/vloggers have started coming out of the woodwork to speak on their experiences. One of the first major mommy bloggers passed away earlier this year and I feel like her daughters (who are young adults now) will come out with their stories in the next few years.

 

[IratePanda]

I used to have the utmost contempt for influences, but I've grown to accept and even admire some of them. If they're consenting adults (or minors with responsible adults behind them) with a good product and some business savvy, more power to them.

My change of heart occurred during the pandemic, when my gym closed for six months and I became heavily reliant on YouTube videos for my workouts. Most of the instructors were wanna-be or bona fide influencers. The best ones had huge followings and a steady revenue stream. My favorite is a yoga instructor who earned enough from her videos to quit her day job. If I'm being honest, I wish I could do the same. (I've been burned out on my job for years, and I truly love yoga.)

I do recognize that some influencers are less than benign. My daughter is nine, and I have to supervise her YouTube viewing very closely. Even with parental controls, some nasty stuff still slips through the cracks--but she's usually the one to report it to YouTube.

 

[Bogwoppit]

"They are no longer someone else's commodity." This isn't true if it is a parent run account of a child! That is really my biggest complaint with the "influencer" industry is that there is no protection for children... much like Holywood back in the day.

Who watched "Quiet on the Set"? I think in 10-20 years we will be hearing as bad or worse from some of the kids that are currently being used online.

Children being used to make the family money, is a whole other kettle of fish. Totally not okay with it. Since Shirley Temple, and likely long before her, there have always been parents who will monetize their children.

Hopefully there will be more laws put in place to protect children from these invasive situations and abuses.

My son was an adult youtuber, he created without any parental help.

 

[MaryClare]

I do think it’s important to be clear that the early-internet “mommy blogger” who died by suicide fairly recently (Heather Armstrong) had been living with severe depression for a very long time. The guidelines on reporting suicide - which I realise we aren’t doing here, it’s just a casual discussion, but since her story has come up it’s worth remembering - emphasise the importance of multi-causal situations. There is very rarely a single reason for a suicide, so while her blogging career and influencer status could have contributed, it’s also possible the same outcome might have happened if she had had any other job.

That said, I could not agree more regarding the eeriness of monetising children in general. Is anyone else familiar with the Youtube “LeBlanc” family - they had a gymnast daughter, Annie, but she was much too young to be an elite - who live-streamed their young teenage son’s funeral, a few years ago? I still think of them semi-regularly. I think the daughter may have been at the same gym as Sydney Morris; they lived in the same area (before relocating to Los Angeles).

Sorry, what? No one mentioned anything about how she died, anything about her life, or even her name.
Who decides these guidelines up anyway? Presumably they are designed for use by media professionals, rather than on internet discussion forums. Where people, you know, discuss things.

 

[KathySantoni]

Does anyone know if Nastia owns this dog?

Nastia Liukin on Instagram: "my love for you can easily be determined and measured based upon my desire to run with you… exhibit a :) ps going to miss you so so so so much this month my sweet little boy. see you after paris 🥹❤️"

4,754 likes, 21 comments - nastialiukin on July 21, 2024: "my love for you can easily be determined and measured based upon my desire to run with you… exhibit a :) ps going to miss you so so so so much this month my sweet little boy. see you after paris 🥹❤️".

www.instagram.com

 

[MaryClare]

Does anyone know if Nastia owns this dog?

Nastia Liukin on Instagram: "my love for you can easily be determined and measured based upon my desire to run with you… exhibit a :) ps going to miss you so so so so much this month my sweet little boy. see you after paris 🥹❤️"

4,754 likes, 21 comments - nastialiukin on July 21, 2024: "my love for you can easily be determined and measured based upon my desire to run with you… exhibit a :) ps going to miss you so so so so much this month my sweet little boy. see you after paris 🥹❤️".

www.instagram.com

Nastia definitely has a dog. She mentioned that when she is travelling, the dog goes to live with her parents. At first, Valeri was not keen on the dog but now he loves it.

I guess this time, Anna is stuck at home scooping poop on her own!