If you engage with social media it is more than likely that you’re contributing to one of the most widespread crimes committed on the internet: content stealing.
One of the biggest constituents of this is the company which runs the meme providing Instagram account, F**kjerry.
You may be wondering, why is this account being called out, to the extent of losing 500,000 followers (which only makes up a small percentage of their current 14 million followers)? For F**kjerry, they have gained their popularity through content theft, and then make money from posting this content through brand deals and advertisements woven into their posts.
The account has also been in the spotlight recently after their appearance in Netflix’s Fyre documentary, which details how festival goers were scammed into a luxurious music festival that turned into a disaster. F**ckjerry ran the marketing campaign for the big scam, but claimed that they were bamboozled as well.
Thousands of users on social media have called out the account for stealing and posting content from comedians without giving them credit. Many of which, used their own social media presence to bring light to the issue. John Mullaney, a prominent comedian spoke up on Instagram posting, “They have stolen jokes from me and many other comedians and profit off it. #f**kf**kjerry.”
The account’s founder, Elliot Tebele, has issued a statement which read, “Given the conversations over the past few days, and the issues that have come to light, it is clear, however, that we need to do better.”
John Inzero, a professor of marketing and international business said on the matter, “Fyre was both illegal and unethical, and clearly deceptive advertising on all levels. You can’t claim something about your product when it doesn’t fulfill that claim.”
“Online influencers, precisely because they wield so much power, need to be more accountable about what they promote. By their very stature, they have a moral responsibility to the people who follow them,” Inzero concluded.
Unfortunately, the damage has already been done, the money has already been made, and who knows if anything will change.
IMAGE TAKEN from Speakerpedia
