Yahoo News Australia – Outrage Over Instagram Influencers’ Fundraising Appeal

Yahoo News Australia – Outrage Over Instagram Influencers’ Fundraising Appeal

Nicole Shelley

19 June 2019

While it’s normal for Instagram influencers to share inspiring shots from their worldwide adventures, you wouldn’t expect them to ask their followers for travel funds.

However, Instagram influencers Catalin Onc and Elena Engelhardt, known on social media as Another Beautiful Day, recently did just that.

The couple set up a GoFundMe page and asked for more than $16,000 to fund a cycling adventure from Germany to Africa. Having expressed no intention of finding jobs to support themselves, the pair’s request was met with enormous criticism.

Ryan Shelley spoke with Yahoo News Australia about the mistaken idea that being an Instagram influencer can, in itself, be a job.

Instagram influencers can generate “sporadic” income through the promotion of goods and services. But the role of social media influencer “on its own … doesn’t really exist”.

“A true influencer already works in their field and has been promoted to that level of being an influencer.”

Instagram is a brilliant way for people to share visual stories with their connections, no matter how big their following. Sadly, Another Beautiful Day did not put the platform to best use on this occasion.

You can read the full article online.

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