When it comes to the prime time of social media, fame comes easily, filters work perfectly, and attention is a form of payment. For Instagram posts to be curated and YouTube vlogs to be squeaky clean, there is always a layer of chaos. This layer of chaos is known as Influncersgonewild.
This phrase refers to the moment when an online personality goes so far off of every trajectory that makes sense, that they lose their minds mostly in real time, HD or take a breath 4k. This becomes a digital version of a wreck that can’t be looked away from. It acts as both a comedy and drama blend, and fully attracts attention.
The Rise of the “Wild” Era
Fame can be attained by anyone in this digital age because of smartphones with cameras. While there is no lack of showmanship, it does come with a downside. With growing follower counts, the amount of attention required becomes harder to please. There is a constant need to cause some sort of commotion, entertain, or “go viral”. Under those circumstances, influencers snap.
That is when we first encounter the publically Influncersgonewild moment.
Be it a TikTok star yelling at a barista over a latte, a YouTuber “apologizing” with fake sobs while angered by the candle-lit setup, or an Instagram influencer getting kicked out of a flight for refusing to wear a mask—these moments go viral.
As people create and share memes, trend hashtags, share screenshots, make reaction videos, and do much more over these incidents, influencers are bound to face consequences without even having to post an explanation. Just like that, influencers get to enjoy the sweet taste of fried behavior analysis.
What’s With The Obsession?
Last but certainly not least, we absolutely love watching people who seem to have it all together lose that grip. InfluencerGoneWild moments feature a carefully mixed collection of curiosity and unfortunate glee. One features the deep dive into the unexplainable crash of one’s online persona.
These moments serve as the perfect reminder that people, no matter who they are, have the same need as everyone else—to mess up. These unpolished moments allow us to scream out ‘We are humans’, and showcase the fact that becoming the center of attention comes with a hefty price to pay.
These days, social media serves as a reality check, and all in 4k quality.
The Beautiful Disaster
In this case, “beautiful disaster” might seem contradictory but works perfectly here. Watching the implosion of someone’s brand is a twisted beauty of its own. Picture soft lighting, high drama music, and ultra-HD 60 FPS sobs.
Influencers, scrub their “bad” moments, which are cinematic for social media. Influencers live their life nowadays as if it’s a recorded reality show, and the backdrop of tragic main character energy feels hopelessly destined. The warm glow turns catastrophic. The main character energy shifts to tragic rather than aspirational.
Some have opted to ride the wave of crazy and exploit their own controversies for publicity. You know the vibe; they strategically post “My Side of the Story” thumbnails on YouTube, Insta Story part 12 toddler sippy cup editions, then drop products at the most unpredictable time post public outrage. It’s surprisingly debateable, part chaos, part performance art.
Cancel Culture Fuel
There’s no discussion around Influncersgonewild without its counterpart, cancel culture – intersecting this world for some reason. What reckless move can be in need of cancel? The exploitation of blurred judgment will have influencers marked for good speeding into the cancel culture angle. The internet is painfully fast and merciless in judgment. The cliff has already fallen way too far before figuring anything out.
Occasionally, cancellation can be undone. Some influencers tend to bounce back, rebrand, and thrive – usually with a more captivated fanbase. Others, however, tend to disappear into obscurity or become digital folklore cautionary tales.
The pattern is: mistake → exposure → backlash → apology video → time off → comeback. Repeat.
Why Are We Blaming Ourselves?
Influencers make errors when they live stream or when they overreact on Twitter (simply put, we love the added drama). This makes us question: are they the problem or are we ?
With the demand for online presence inflating, influencers are officially “on” 24/7. Many creators admit to mental health issues or burnout, presenting a conflicting case to their highlight reels.
By amplifying the chaotic moments (the “Influncersgonewild” moments), we further incentivize the destruction of sanity. Even negative attention leads to monetary engagement as problematic behavior has become a business model.
The New Form of Entertainment
All in all, ‘The “Gone Wild” Franchise has led towards the creation of their own entertainment genre. An entire universe of youtube channels and reddit threads have been dedicated to the tracking and documenting the influencers which many regard as a reality show – and in many ways, it is.
Unlike scripted television, these events happen in real life and come with real consequences. People’s reputations are tarnished, relationships end, and businesses are destroyed, all showcased for the world to witness. It’s captivating, sure, but also profoundly sad.
In closing,
Influncersgonewild: A Beautiful Disaster in 4K is more than an internet trend; it serves as a cultural critique of the overwhelming and toxic influence of the internet. Every aspect of life is analyzed when revolving around the internet, exposing the absurdity that comes with life online.
There is something profoundly sad about all of this, and it may be that severing ties with one’s social media and watching influencers go off the rails is actually a desire to escape an increasingly artificial world where realness could be sought out. Sometimes, however, reality is a chaotic, raw, and embarrassing trainwreck that people desire to witness.
