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

There's been an unexpected boom on social media over the last few years: the Instagram picture-perfect lifestyle. We now have people who are professional influencers. They command money and perks just for being popular on Instagram; that is it. They take the 'perfect' pictures and present the facade that life itself is perfect, but behind the scenes, many people have also exposed how ridiculous it is to hold oneself to these perfect standards. They are not achievable.

That's where 19-year-old Byron Denton steps in. The young adult from London, England, decided to attempt an experiment to help him better understand what he viewed as a bizarre subculture. He did this by pretending he was a wealthy and popular Instagram influencer.

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

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? You can follow insights from Farnoosh Torabi, financial expert, who states, 'The curated lives we see on social media can distort our understanding of wealth and success.' Additionally, check out perspectives from Dr. Dan Gilbert, happiness researcher, who emphasizes, 'Social media can significantly affect our happiness and self-perception, often leading to unrealistic comparisons.' Let us know your thoughts in the comment section now!