I've just got round to reading the link posted in the last thread, thank you to the person who posted it - an article entitled "Are cynical social media influencers exploiting the backlash against online abuse to deflect scrutiny?"
Gossip is old news. Shakespeare, in fact, was among the first to commit the word to print, his characters frequently getting the wrong end of tittle tattle to both comic and tragic outcome.
www.scotsman.com
Relevant paragraph:
"One thread was about an activist who makes their living through media appearances, self-branding as representative of the poor. They do indeed seem to have suffered terrible temporary hardship some years ago, but their own extensive social media output reveals a level of comfort and house filled with fancy belongings that I couldn’t stretch to.
Followers frequently offer money to help out, despite struggling to get by themselves in some instances. But the problem is, questioning someone on their lifestyle fuels the old harmful stereotype about benefits and flatscreen TV. Do some influencers profit from taking up identities that are too awkward to question?"
It's good to know that at least one journalist has
read, and appreciated what we are doing, and why. But oh I wish there would be a series about Jack and similar people in the mainstream media - this threads archivists have already done the work for them!