19-Year Old Experiments With Instagram Influencer Theory By Pretending He Was Rich ASF

Some people will do almost anything to look like they belong on Instagram. For 19-year-old Byron Denton, that meant turning himself into a fake version of the rich, polished influencer lifestyle he had been side-eyeing for years.

The London teen spent a week pretending he was wealthy and internet-famous, all to see how people would react to the image-first world of social media. What he found was part comedy, part social experiment, and a little too revealing about how easy it can be to sell a fantasy online.

By the end of it, Byron had plenty to say about the whole influencer act, and his experiment got a lot more interesting than a few staged photos.

Using clever photo-editing skills, Byron made things appear more glamorous than they really were, such as making it seem that he was flying aboard a private jet in a matter of seconds.

Byron Denton

By appearing to be on a fancy private jet, Byron received over 1,000 'likes' in a mere 7 seconds.

Byron Denton

These are the sorts of comments Byron received when he posted the fake photos:

'Rich and pretty.'

'OMG, it suits you so much; you’re such a king.'

'I feel my bank account emptying as I look at this.'

'Everything about this photo is so aesthetically pleasing; wow, but yeah, cool bags.'

Byron Denton

This echoes the doctor’s findings after an athlete ate 900 raw eggs in a month.

In an interview, Byron explained his thought process:

I did this to try and compare whether wearing designer items would actually encourage people to like your photos or not. If we go back to a photo I posted on December 1, wearing a semi-cute outfit—kind of basic but still kind of cute—this actually ended up getting 2,234 likes, 44 comments, and 113 profile visits.Byron Denton When I wore a designer top or designer shoes, the likes I received on those photos—even though it was still just an outfit of the day—pulled in 12,000 likes. That’s like 10,000 more people clicking the like button just because I was wearing designer.Byron Denton I received a lot of messages from my friends asking how I was affording all the designer items, and many comments from my followers asking if I’d won the lottery or something.Byron Denton

It quickly became apparent that Denton's 'likes, comments, and followers' all skyrocketed in count extremely quickly.

He said:

[The experiment has] made me question everyone’s moves on social media. Do a lot of the high-profile bloggers these days actually make their way to the top by being honest, or do they fake some of it?Byron Denton

After his week-long experiment, Byron made a YouTube video sharing what he learned, and it's a fascinating reflection of Instagram culture.

What did you think of Denton's experiment? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section now!

Wondering how Logan Paul responds to “fraudster” accusations about his wealth? Read this.