What wouldn't a dedicated influencer do for a good photo op... Most times, the Internet idols are ready to sacrifice their comfort and even dignity for 'the shot.' What they might not realize is that they might be taking the dignity of the people around them down with them.
The IG page Influencers In The Wild is full of examples where people capture unaware social media stars taking pictures in some questionable positions. Today, the page has 5 million followers and even a board game! People have been spotting influencers in the wild and submitting them to the page since 2020.
#1 This Is Extremely Wholesome And Cute
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#2 Welcome To Hollyweird
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#3 Influencing Is A Dangerous Line Of Work
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The "Influencers In The Wild" Instagram is well on its way to becoming an established franchise. The Instagram page has its own website, a merchandise shop, and even a board game. The creator of the page is George Resch, also known on the Internet as tank.sinatra, the Michael Jordan of memes. In the spring of 2023, Resch went on Shark Tank to pitch his idea for the board game to the sharks.
Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful – no sharks backed his business idea. When he went on the show, he said he only sold 1,500 units of the game. Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary called it "terrible," and other sharks started dropping out due to the lack of sales.
Although the idea didn't get picked up, the publicity undoubtedly helped popularize the "Influencers In The Wild" game and the Instagram page, as well. You can still get the board game on the page's website or Amazon.
#4 This Is Just So Strange
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#5 Rich Men Of North Richmond Got Everybody Wildin
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#6 Fellas If She Makes You Do This On A First Date Wyd?
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In January 2022, Resch spoke to Business Insider about the success of the Instagram page and his plans for the future. He said the inspiration for this page was a girl whom he saw climbing a tree to take a picture. "The tree was like three feet tall, and I was like, 'Why wouldn't you just stand next to the tree?'" Resch observed.
He says the page came to be from wanting to reveal the absurd and sometimes dangerous ways some influencers try to get 'the shot.' "It's always like, 'Oh, my god, look how silly we are,'" Resch told Business Insider. "Nobody can take just a regular picture anymore because it doesn't work. You can't just stand and take a picture. You have to be hanging from a branch to get attention."
#7 Banished To The Cave For All Eternity
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#8 When Worlds Collide
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#9 This Could Not Have Gone Any Better
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Before becoming the Michael Jordan of memes, George Resch sold fences in Long Island, New York. He has left the fence business since, focusing on this and his other social media accounts. When talking to Business Insider, he didn't specify how much he earns from all his social media accounts and businesses but said it adds up to "a good living" and that he doesn't regret leaving the fence business.
#10 ?? Got ?
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#11 She’s Glitching Out, Eternally Stuck At 17% Rhythm
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#12 Is It Too Late For Grinch Content?
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When asked what the secret sauce to the success of "Influencers In The Wild" is, Resch believes it's the fact that some of these influencers don’t seem to have any self-consciousness.
"The best videos to me are when the person who's taking the picture is just in their own world and completely oblivious to whoever is around. Ten years ago, this person would have been looked at as an alien, and you'd be like, 'What the hell is this person doing?' But today, it's just perfectly normal."
#13 One Is Pregnant. The Other One Is Tryna Get Pregnant. The Circle Of Life Is So Beautiful
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#14 Straight To Jail
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#15 I Love Her Energy And Honestly I Salute Her For Sacrificing Her Toes To Frostbite To Keep The Masses Entertained
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The other secret ingredient seems to be the fact that these influencers don't actually expect to get on a page like "Wild." Some influencers try to boost their following by submitting their content to the Resch. One example is Elvis Lopeti, whose video got a boost of almost five times more views after a feature on "Influencers In The Wild."
#16 She’s Just Taking A Picture
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#17 I’m Not Hungry Anymore
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#18 I’m Gonna Bring Caroline On Vacation She’s My Best Seat I Mean Friend
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However, George says the opposite strategy might actually be the best. "Don't try," he told Business Insider. "Don't try and get featured on my account because when people do that, it's very obvious, and it comes across that way. Just be yourself."
#19 His Capa Was Ditated Right Off Of His Head
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#20 Is He Nailing It? Like For Yes. Comment If You Have Zero Taste
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#21 I’m The Guy In The Back
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We like to talk about how being an influencer is not a real job and requires no actual talent. The tagline of the "Influencers In The Wild" board game is "Go places. Gain followers. Get famous. (no talent required)." Those who call influencing their day job are actually trying to lobby for people and governments to recognize it as an actual job by striking and unionizing.
#22 Gotta Get The Christmas Card Photoshoot In Before It Gets Too Cold
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#23 Oh, And You Blend
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#24 This Man Is The Real Star Of The Show
A researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, Emily Hund, stands in their corner and urges them to unionize in her book The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media. Influencers should "recognize themselves as the cultural laborers they are and organize accordingly," she writes.
#25 You Can Tell He’s Been At This For A Minute
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#26 Two Different Worlds United By The Eiffel Tower
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#27 How Else Are You Supposed To Pass The Time While Waiting For The Train?
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She explains how, after the economic crisis of 2008, many stable kinds of jobs disappeared. Making money through social media, therefore, became a viable option. "The influencer industry is both a symptom of and a response to the economic precarity and upheaval in social institutions that have characterized the early twenty-first century," Hund explains.
#28 Security Really Said “Babe Lol Stop It”
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#29 Bottoms Up On Bottomless Mimosas, Bottoms Out On A Tabletop
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#30 2023 Relationship Goals
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There have been attempts to unionize from online creators in the past. In 2016, there was the Internet Creators Guild that aimed to help creators protect themselves in the "cut-throat" world of brand deals and confusing contracts.
It shut down after three years, mainly because big creators didn't "feel the need for support from a collective voice." TikTok creators are flirting with the idea, as well, but nothing has come out of it yet.
#31 Me When I Get To The Airport Too Early
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#32 The Dog Wants No Part Of It ?
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#33 The Guys Face At The End Makes This Video
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#34 Did He Lose A Bet? You Bet He Did
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#35 Bro Drop The Workout Routine ???
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#36 There’s Gotta Be A Better Way
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#37 Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas!
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#38 Legend Has It They’re Still Trying To Get The Perfect Angle
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#39 Of Course It’s Spirit Airlines
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#40 She’d Be Proud
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#41 Ahhh Yes The Delicate Yet Powerful Arch Of The Suspension Bridge
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#42 Is She A Good Dancer? Yes, Of Course. But Is It Weird To See Someone Dancing Like Their Life Depends On It To The Beat Of A Leaf Blower? Also Yes
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#43 Influencers Gon Influence
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#44 Cookie Monster Is All Over Her Dm’s
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#45 Annie Are You Okay? Do You Need An Ambulance Or A Doctor?
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#46 Mmmmooooooovvvveeeeee
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#47 There’s Snowboarding, Skiing And Then There’s This
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#48 Buy His Course “Learning How To Stand So It Looks Natural”
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#49 He’s Doing The Pensive Police Pose. Dark, Broody, Effective
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#50 I’ve Never Heard Someone More Excited To Spot One
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#51 Butts Are Made On The Beach (Or Something Like That)
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#52 The Camera Work Is As Impressive As Whatever She’s Doing
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#53 I Personally Blame Yellowstone For This
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#54 Absolute Chaos
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#55 I Love That She Does The Influencer Glitch And Then Goes Right Back To Normal Like She Didn’t Just Do All That ?
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#56 The Silence Is Deafening
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#57 The Child Is The Backbone Of Her Influencing Career
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#58 Happy December Or Whatever
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#59 This Is Stolen Valor ?
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#60 Onlygrans
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#61 Happiest Place On Earth
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#62 The Honey Moon’s Off To A Rocky Start
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#63 55 Burgers 55 Fries 55 Selfies 110 Boomerangs
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#64 Influencing A New Generation
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