One of the Philippines’ luxury hotels, White Banana Beach Club, is saying no to influencers and describing them as free loaders. For some, social media influencing is a career but are these influencers abusing their power?
Influencers are everywhere. By promising to upload content for their huge number of followers, many are given amazing freebies in return. Instagram influencers are the most popular, gaining free accommodation, clothes and experiences in return for a couple of posted images and shout-outs.
The luxury hotel have recently denied requests from self-proclaimed influencers, labelling them as “freeloaders” in a Facebook post.
The beach resort, located in Siarga, is an idyllic and picturesque resort that offers waterfront views and beach bars, making it an ideal place for an influencer to promote. The resort’s management team decided to deny all requests in a blunt Facebook statement, reading:
“We kindly would like to announce that White Banana is not interested to “collaborate” with self-proclaimed “influencers”. And we would like to suggest to try another way to eat, drink, or sleep for free. Or try to actually work.”
This comment received both a lot of backlash and support as people were taking sides with what was said. Some were applauding the resort’s efforts to take a stand against people using social media to gain freebies. Whilst others were criticising the hotel, claiming that without Instagram and social media, their resort wouldn’t have the publicity it needs.
The controversy over White Banana Beach Club and its denial of influencers has sparked conversation over the fine line between promoting and freeloading. Influencer Marketing Hub has recently stated that over $1 billion is expected to be spent on influencers this year, making the business extremely competitive.
Whilst I wish I could take a selfie in return for staying in a floating beach resort in the Bahamas, the world of influencing isn’t so easy. Instagram has over 1 billion users each month! So, if you think your latest photo is revolutionary – think again.
Although highly mocked by some, people now gain an income off posting photos on social media platforms. Viral bloggers such as Jay Alvarrez, Kayla Itsines and Jake Paul all rose to fame through online videos streamed on YouTube, Instagram and Vine. Now they are recognised in the top 20 most successful influencers throughout the world and earn millions simply by clicking that post button.
Jay Alvarrez, Instagram influencer. Photo credit: Youtube.The videos and photos posted by these influencers make life seem unfair as they get to be rich and famous for doing not a whole lot. However, are we looking past all the work that goes on behind the scenes? What we see is young and attractive models getting flown in private jets to luxurious locations, all at the expense of some Instagram endorsing. But is what we see the real truth?
Getting noticed is the biggest challenge for influencers in a world that relies heavily on social media. It takes years for influencers to gain the trust of their followers and to be contacted by brands for promotions. A lot of it starts with the work done solely by the influencer, creating the right photo shoots, captions and putting in a lot more effort into each post than we think. It’s a 24/7 job; there’s no real down time and knowing how to best market yourself will determine your success.
Blogging is a huge part of influencers and they not only have to be constantly updating their blog, but also coordinating photos and stories to coincide with what they promote. An article on Man Repeller discussed interviews with influencers and what their job actually entails. One influencer stated that it’s not as glamorous as it appears and that “most of my days are filled with meetings and emails…administrative tasks and logistical planning for photo shoots”.
Many have spoken out about the impacts being a social media influencer can have, such as model Essena O’Neill. O’Neill, an Australian influencer with over half a million Instagram followers decided to quit social media altogether after claiming it wasn’t real. She took to Instagram to change her captions of her photos saying how fake her photos were and how empty and alone she truly felt, before deleting her account altogether.
O’Neil’s decision sparked a lot of attention as she tried to promote a positive body image for young girls. It was unheard of to hear such a successful and attractive young woman slam the one thing that gave her such success. Many were in favour of her decision, but some disagreed saying social media influencing is not as soul destroying as O’Neil made it out to be. The Guardian discussed how another Australian Instagram star, Bonny Rebecca, posted a Tumblr statement describing that what O’Neil experienced isn’t the case for other influencers. Rebecca stated that she never promoted anything that didn’t have a purpose to her and that not all influencers had the same experience as O’Neil did.
Influencing is a full-time job for most and entails more work than just posting some photos. It’s easy to judge and say there is little work that goes on, but there is a long and detailed process between a brand and an influencer before any promotions are given.
Looking at an influencer’s Instagram, it may seem like they really have it all but behind the perfect smile or million-dollar vacation, there’s a dedicated worker constantly marketing themselves. It’s not easy being an influencer… if it was, we would all be sitting in Hawaii right now drinking free cocktails on the beach!
Let us know in the comments what you think of White Banana Beach Club’s decision.
