When influencers behave badly online, there is one group of people most willing and able to police them: strangers on the internet.
Influencer watchdogs have become the unofficial eyes and ears of ordinary folk on social media, monitoring the behaviour and comments of “untouchables” and reminding them no one is outside the social law.
Influencer watchdogs are keeping an eye on Australia’s microcelebrities, but at what cost?
Similar to DeuxMoi, a US-based celebrity news and gossip account, the Australian equivalents post news titbits, rumours, confirmed scandals and their own analyses of influencer-related incidents. Though smaller fry than the global celebrities DeuxMoi covers, local influencer content seems to be gaining traction, with accounts like Celeb Spellcheck boasting 246,000 Instagram followers and Aussie Influencer Opinions pulling in 77,000.
But staying across Australia’s smorgasbord of influencers is no small feat, especially as new ones seem to pop up every day. Why bother expending such time and energy policing people they don’t even know?
For Amber Paul*, creator of Influencer Updates AU which has over 60,000 Instagram followers, the effort is worthwhile for the space it affords her to speak openly about all things influencers, a topic she admits is not everyone’s cup of tea.
“I’ve been following influencers for 10 years or something,” she says. “But then I had all this knowledge and no one in my real life to share it with. So, in 2020 I started a TikTok account ... From day one it picked up. The first video got like 50,000 views in one day.”
In fact, her account gained traction so quickly that when the time came to decide whether to return to work after taking maternity leave, she decided to make the account her full-time job. Paul now runs it like a business, charging followers seeking more content about $20 a year to become her “close friend” on Instagram, meaning they can access extra posts on her stories. About 1000 people signed up within the first week of its launch. It now has over 2000 subscribers.
As one of Australia’s influencer watchdogs, Amber Paul is prepared to keep microcelebrities in check.Credit: Joe Armao
Lecturer in media at the University of Adelaide Jessica Ford says watchdogs are nothing new, noting the role of churches and community elders in governing values and norms throughout history. The watchdogs we see today have merely evolved to suit the digital age.
“Whether it’s telling your neighbour to pick up after their dog or judging Britney Spears, we all participate in and perpetuate policing behaviours and cultures. In the social media era, this has taken on a broader meaning, as the circle of accountability is now beyond our immediate community and encompasses celebrities.”
While gossip content may appear vapid, Ford says it can act as an effective accountability tool for influencers, like a Human Resource department for social media, encouraging certain influencers to think before they do, and discouraging younger users from the “wrong kind” of influence.
“It’s good that people have a place where they can talk about influencers without being censored,” Paul says. “If an influencer posted something, you can’t really go on there and comment because ... they’re either going to delete your comments or block you. Whereas people feel they can go to this account and speak their truth about certain topics. It brings everyone together as a community – sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.”
The worse is no small matter. The accounts attract some toxic commentary, something Paul says is likely a result of “tall poppy syndrome”.
Dr Brittany Ferdinands, a researcher at the University of Sydney, wrote her thesis on social media influencers and says public figures will inevitably face scrutiny, but it’s important for users to distinguish between propagating salacious gossip and monitoring ethical behaviour.
“[The watchdogs] draw attention to problematic behaviours, trends, and inconsistencies within the industry and cultivate a space for public discourse on such matters,” Ferdinands says. “However, the profiles can also be a breeding ground for public bullying and harassment.”
For example, Celeb Spellcheck posted about influencer Ashley Mescia’s incorrect pronunciation of the word “depot”, encouraging people to laugh at her and comment on her intelligence. Another watchdog, Dutchminty, hosted Q&As on their account that heavily implied Ruby Tuesday Matthews had an eating disorder, without any verification. Matthews responded on her own account, expressing the pain the rumours caused her, as she juggles her businesses with being a mum.
Influencer Indy Clinton, who has 1.3 million TikTok followers and is no stranger to toxic commentary, says since watchdogs help shape the way the public views influencers (whose careers depend on their reputation and lifestyle), they can inflict both emotional and financial damage.
“There’s a fine line between sharing influencer pop-culture to an audience who’s interested in the topic and sharing information that will just promote cyberbullying.”
Clinton will not elaborate on her own negative encounters with watchdog accounts. But she says the accounts themselves aren’t necessarily responsible for bullying people, it’s individuals online who take the information and use it that way.
“It’s so easy for misinformation to spread and for media outlets to create stories off what these pages share,” she says.
For example, Emma Claiir became the subject of multiple news articles after Paul picked up comments the influencer made on a podcast about accidentally killing two cats when she was younger. Though Paul turned comments off to ease the online vitriol, Claiir became a gossip column headline and was ultimately dropped by multiple brands.
“What people need to remember is everything may not be perfect behind closed doors,” Clinton says. “Just because we choose to share certain aspects of our life to an audience doesn’t mean we are any different to your average Joe on the street. People will say, ‘this is what you signed up for’, [but] no, it’s really not. Just because this is our job doesn’t mean we are a punching bag for cyberbullying.”
Clinton says rather than determining whether current cyberbullying regulations are sufficient, users should simply follow one rule: if you wouldn’t say something to a person’s face, don’t say it online.
Ferdinands believes influencer watchdog content should be as strictly regulated as radio, broadcast and print news. Already, like anyone on social media – from individuals to major media organisations – they must be mindful of defamation risk, including within comments on their posts.
Paul has taken a break after receiving a legal letter in relation to remarks in the comments section. Though she plans to return soon, she is unsure if she will continue to allow comments.
“It has always been important to me to let them [followers] have that voice. But if it’s going to fall back on me, I can’t allow it.”
Though she’s wary of posting potentially hurtful content, she says she can’t bend to every influencer’s feelings.
“I only post what’s already public, I’m not posting anonymous tips,” Paul says. “But pretty much every post, the influencer reaches out and asks me to delete it, even the positive posts. They really hate that they can’t control the narrative. I wish they didn’t hate it. I want them to enjoy the account, but I can’t control what people are saying about them.”
*Amber Paul is a pseudonym used for safety and privacy reasons.
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