We had done an article about influencers who were called out for their lies and scams online. And, now we are looking into what it’s actually like to be friends and family members of influencers in real life.
Reddit user, u/superfuncity asked social media users about their experiences and here are some of the best responses.
1. A Reddit user who goes by the name S_204 says it’s annoying as the influencer friend constantly films everything and this has impacted their personal relationship.
It’s annoying AF. One of my buddies is constantly filming everything we do and posting it. It dominates everything he does and has severely impacted his personal relationships. He can’t keep a GF and it’s clearly related to this obsession of his. After pretty much kicking him out of my life because I do not want to be continually posted online, we’ve come to the understanding that when he’s about to take a pic or video, he hands me the phone so I’m not in the shot. Works OK for me.
2. Another Reddit user (42charlemagne) claimed to have dated an influencer who would often give gifts and show acts of kindness only to post about it on social media.
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.
3. Neither-Act1355, a Reddit user, claims to be friends with a high-profile athlete who is always on the phone and never lives in the moment.
Friends with a high-profile athlete who is pretty popular on Insta. He is always on the phone and never lives in the moment. If we are doing anything fun? Well, it basically didn’t happen unless the world knows about it. It’s just annoying. I can’t imagine living for the approval or satisfaction of others.
4. Sydneyfigtree says she is friends with a wannabe influencer who replies to her own posts from her husband’s account.
“I know a wannabe influencer. She will reply to her own posts from her husband’s account praising herself. Then she will reply to those posts as herself thanking him. It’s hilarious, like Inception for Facebook.”
5. Reddit user EmeraldSunrise4000 says it feels like shit as it has caused a strain in their relationship.
To be honest, it’s really shit. I feel like I’ve been completely forgotten about and like I don’t matter anymore. I think that’s just some weird misguided jealousy, but it still hurts because I miss talking to my friend.
6. Reddit user who goes by the name of yonewredditwhodis explains how annoying it gets to be able to get that one perfect photo that the influencer friend is happy with during parties.
Sad. In the beginning, they started because they got offers from brands because they were so popular on Instagram and it was a lot of fun for them. Now they don’t ever post pictures or videos without a filter. Rarely ever like a picture on the first try, and don’t you dare post any pictures of them without approval. Imagine trying to get a group picture with all of your friends for your birthday but having to take almost 100 shots to get one that your influencer friend is happy with.
7. Gremlinnut says her friend has become a self-centered bully.
She became a horrible, self-centered bully.
8. BadaSbich22 claims her influencer friend takes out the phone/camera at random moments which gets annoying at times.
Got a friend with 75K subscribers on YouTube in a language other than English. It used to be about their weekend getaways with nice drone shots. It was interesting. Then, gradually became about their lives (how interesting). She’s got her phone/camera out at random moments, which can get annoying. She got pregnant. Baby everything now.
9. Reddit user, whenthesunrise stated that it was tolerable for a few years but later it started to get annoying because everything needed to be documented.
Awful. One of my best friends fell real hard into Instagram, and for a few years it was tolerable and understandable, albeit annoying and strange. Everything needed to be documented in specific ways, so lots and lots of photos, even if it took away from the moment. But the strange part was how, when she’d share things, the captions always told a slightly different story than what actually happened. Like just off enough for me and my other friends to say, ‘Huh, that has a weird quality to it.’
10. SagiattariusA_Star claims that the on-camera moments are as fake as one can imagine it to be.
Exactly as fake and staged as you imagine it to be, the on-camera moments are completely non-genuine. It is, in the end, just an acting/modeling job and not their real personality.
11. Bright_star0 says her influencer friend has become annoying as she always craves attention and despite living in the same house, they are not friends anymore.
She is annoying…there’s no other word to describe her. Feel sorry for her because she is a person who needs attention all the time. (We are not friends but we live in the same house).
12. Reddit user MarvelAlex said that he once went on a date with an influencer but, he felt ignored as she was constantly on her phone.
I went on a date with one and it was just frustrating. Pleasant enough girl, but she was on her phone a lot. I had sympathy since it’s her job, but I felt ignored a lot of the time we were together.
13. Used-Parsley-8754, a Reddit user claims to have a neighbour who is an influencer. She screams at her kids and often forces them to smile behind the scenes.
I have a neighbor who is an influencer. She uses her kids, and behind the scenes she’s nothing like the happy pictures! She screams at them to smile, and on one occasion said, ‘I don’t give a fuck if you don’t like the fucking juice! Just pretend and smile!’ It’s all fake and I hate it.
14. Lemonfly4012 says her influencer friend claims to be a supermodel but in reality she is unemployed. And, she uses tons of props to make her room look like an exotic place.
If you look at her social media, you’d think she was a supermodel millionaire who goes on tons of trips. She’s actually chronically unemployed, and has an income of less than $10K/year. Her boyfriend makes about $60K/year which is enough to afford them a very nice three-and-a-half bedroom apartment, and she has tons of props she uses to make each room look different from day to day so it seems like she’s always in a new, exotic place. They take two trips a year to fun, tropical places — in which she takes many photos, and posts them as different places throughout the year.
15. Reddit user MutedApricot says it is incredibly annoying as everything has to be turned into a grand photo shoot.
So incredibly annoying. I actually ended up cutting her off because everything had to be a photo opportunity. We could never just go out to lunch or see a movie without it turning into a photo shoot. She never did anything with our friend group unless it was ‘aesthetic.
16. Reddit user mustsurvivecapitlism claims to be friends with a beauty influencer who is always stressed, anxious and horribly insecure.
My ex’s sister is an influencer (beauty/makeup) with over a million followers on YouTube. She was so anxious and stressed all the time. Horribly insecure. If she got some backlash or bad comments, she’d be so upset. Was on a lot of anti-anxiety medication. Meanwhile, all her posts are her looking beautiful and traveling, etc. She didn’t have many friends either (that I saw anyway). Just lots of fans.
17. Reddit user ExplainingCalvin says he was best friends with his sister in high school but, now he barely knows her as she has become too fake.
My sister has tens of thousands of followers. We used to be best friends in high school and she was my favorite sibling. Now I feel like I barely know her. It’s like she’s this shell of the person she used to be. Seriously, I’ve never met anyone who could make me laugh as hard as she used to make me laugh. Now I just sort of want to blow my brains out when I’m around her. She’s just so obsessed and fake now. It actually makes me really sad.
18. Reddit user nerdyabout claims to have gone to a party thrown by a really Insta-famous guy who faked his life. From owning luxurious cars to owning multiple flats, everything was a lie.
One of my best friends dated a really Insta-famous guy. He invited us to his house for a Christmas party and this is when I realized how fake social media was. The guy didn’t really own the car he paraded on social media. He rented it, took several photos with it, then gave it back. His house was in a different city than he claimed. He said he lived in a very rich city but his house was in a more modest place. He asked me to send him the videos I took at the party, posted them, and didn’t even tag me because I ‘didn’t have enough followers’? Dude has millions of people fooled.
19. Reddit user Cirrus-Ramparts claims her influencer friend never comes to any parties or events she invites her to but, she only goes to events that ‘further her business.’
She hasn’t come to anything I’ve invited her to in five years because she only goes to events that ‘further her business.’ Regularly says things like, ‘We’re all using each other for something.’ She still reaches out to me multiple times a year and claims I’m one of her best friends, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. I’ve told her as much, but she just says, ‘This is my life now, my business comes first and if you can’t accept that, then I guess you’re not a real friend.
Yikes! The life of an influencer is not as charming and fun as it seems to be and not all influencers are living the life they claim to be living.