WEBVTT - The Influencer Cash Ban, The Mesica Twin's Comment Section & Kayla Itsines' Ex Steps Down 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:03.160 This is Outspoken. The podcast is not afraid to say 0:00:03.360 --> 0:00:06.640 exactly what you're thinking. Our names are Amy kay and 0:00:06.680 --> 0:00:10.520 Sophie Torba. We're identical triplets, but we often don't have 0:00:10.600 --> 0:00:15.680 identical opinions, so sometimes things can get heated. Outspoken covers 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:20.880 all things reality TV, influencers, entertainment, and issues facing women. 0:00:21.400 --> 0:00:22.840 That is so fatch. 0:00:23.320 --> 0:00:28.000 Thank you, Hello, and welcome to Outspoken, your dose of 0:00:28.040 --> 0:00:31.200 the hottest influencer and pop culture news twice a week. 0:00:31.360 --> 0:00:34.320 On today's show, we discussed by You'll be seeing considerably 0:00:34.360 --> 0:00:38.240 fewer sponsored health products on your Instagram feed, Plus Kayla 0:00:38.320 --> 0:00:41.920 Astinas's x steps down from their fitness empire, and the 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:47.080 telltale scigence influencers are paying for their YouTube engagement. But first, 0:00:47.159 --> 0:00:50.440 a post by fast fashion brand White Fox Boutique has 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:53.680 us questioning whether some fashion trends have gone past the 0:00:53.760 --> 0:00:57.360 point of ridiculous. Now. Over the weekend, the Aussie Bass 0:00:57.440 --> 0:00:59.880 brand posted a reel of a model going on what 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:03.320 they described as a hot Girl walk and apparently the 0:01:03.360 --> 0:01:07.399 outfit in question was hot Girl approved by the brand. Now, 0:01:07.400 --> 0:01:10.199 there is definitely a lot to unpack with that caption alone, 0:01:10.280 --> 0:01:13.440 but shockingly, it was the outfit in question, which caught 0:01:13.520 --> 0:01:17.640 our attention. So the model was wearing high waisted tights 0:01:17.920 --> 0:01:21.280 and a crop top, which sounds like a pretty normal outfit. However, 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:23.880 it was topped off with a matching T shirt that 0:01:24.040 --> 0:01:27.360 was only pulled down halfway so to paint the picture. 0:01:27.480 --> 0:01:30.119 The T shirt had made its way over the model's head, 0:01:30.480 --> 0:01:34.039 but was only pulled down halfway over her body, so 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:37.600 the majority of her crop top and breasts was still exposed. 0:01:37.840 --> 0:01:40.360 And many women in our community have joked that this 0:01:40.440 --> 0:01:43.440 is what they look like when they're breastfeeding. Well, it 0:01:43.480 --> 0:01:45.720 actually reminded me on me and girls when they go 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:49.280 and cut the boobs out of Regina George's singlet and 0:01:49.280 --> 0:01:52.040 then everyone starts sporting the look to show off their bras, 0:01:52.560 --> 0:01:55.320 and I just didn't get it. I was like, have 0:01:55.440 --> 0:01:58.280 they actually tucked the T shirt up like that? Or 0:01:58.320 --> 0:02:01.080 are they selling T shirts with I mean, I will 0:02:01.120 --> 0:02:03.080 not be buying one of them. Well, it seems that 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:07.240 white Fox's followers were also perplexed by this outfit. One wrote, 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:09.919 tell me this is not how we're wearing T shirts now. 0:02:09.960 --> 0:02:12.440 Another said sometimes when I eat too much, I also 0:02:12.440 --> 0:02:14.800 get tired and just write it out Winnar the booster, 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:17.240 whilst another said, I think you forgot to pull your 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:19.680 shirt down. Surely it's more effort to keep it up 0:02:19.800 --> 0:02:22.200 like that than it is to wear it normally. I 0:02:22.200 --> 0:02:23.880 thought it was bad enough that crop tops. You know, 0:02:23.880 --> 0:02:26.080 I've seen all those memes with women of a certain 0:02:26.120 --> 0:02:28.280 age asking where the rest of their T shirt is, 0:02:28.320 --> 0:02:31.280 and I, for one will be agreeing with this. I mean, okay, 0:02:31.600 --> 0:02:33.920 I'm getting crop tops now. I will wear them, and 0:02:34.120 --> 0:02:36.880 especially with high waisted jeans. However, I will not be 0:02:36.960 --> 0:02:40.600 showing from my bra right down to my pant line off. 0:02:40.600 --> 0:02:42.359 I I just don't want to do it. The thing 0:02:42.400 --> 0:02:44.720 that I'm just so confused about with this look is 0:02:44.760 --> 0:02:48.040 that it's not even functional as someone as one of 0:02:48.040 --> 0:02:50.600 the commenters said, it's more effort to have this T 0:02:50.760 --> 0:02:53.760 shirt up by your boobs. It doesn't look particularly comfortable either. 0:02:54.040 --> 0:02:56.799 It's also not very sun smart, and I definitely don't 0:02:56.880 --> 0:03:00.680 think that I will be rocking this outfit. Get is 0:03:00.760 --> 0:03:02.880 why not just wear the sports bra by itself? Like, 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:05.080 what is the purpose of the other material? It doesn't 0:03:05.080 --> 0:03:07.680 even go past I do wonder what men think about 0:03:07.680 --> 0:03:10.040 this trend. The thing is, I feel like if you're 0:03:10.160 --> 0:03:12.960 very fashioned forward. You're actually dressing for other women, not 0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:15.920 men's approval. So I don't really think men are going 0:03:15.960 --> 0:03:17.880 to get this trend at all. But I don't think 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:20.680 that that's why women are wearing this outfit. You can't 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:23.079 say that this isn't for men. It really plays into 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:25.200 the male gaze. I mean, the woman hasn't got a 0:03:25.240 --> 0:03:27.520 T shirt pulled over her bra. Before we move on, 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:29.720 I just want to go back to the caption because 0:03:29.760 --> 0:03:33.720 I found that whole hot girl approved comment really gross. 0:03:33.760 --> 0:03:35.720 And I know that when I go on a walk, 0:03:35.840 --> 0:03:39.120 I definitely don't look hot girl approved. I'm usually in 0:03:39.200 --> 0:03:41.920 really grotty active wear with messy hair, and I don't 0:03:41.960 --> 0:03:44.280 generally don't give a shit about what I look like. 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:46.560 So I mean, I definitely don't think that I'm the 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:49.680 demographic they're going for. But what do you guys think 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:52.480 about the whole hot girl approved comment. I'm not a 0:03:52.520 --> 0:03:54.280 fan of it at all. We've spoken about it on 0:03:54.320 --> 0:03:56.840 the podcast before. And you have to fit into a 0:03:57.040 --> 0:04:00.640 very niche category in order to be consider a part 0:04:00.840 --> 0:04:03.400 of this hot girl trend, and generally it's someone who 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:05.560 is white and thin, and I just think that is 0:04:05.760 --> 0:04:09.160 totally not inclusive at all and not really a good 0:04:09.160 --> 0:04:09.960 thing to be pushing. 0:04:10.080 --> 0:04:14.000 Oh my fucking god. No, I just cut an email 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:19.320 from Scanlon and Theatore. Oh my god, with Hajamebes fans 0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:21.880 you well. After reading a cv in researching your Instagram, 0:04:21.920 --> 0:04:24.680 teest talk and podcast. We're impressed with your unique sens 0:04:24.760 --> 0:04:27.640 is style, confidence of charisma and your knowledge of fashion. 0:04:27.800 --> 0:04:30.320 We believe you'll be a strong asset to a retail 0:04:30.400 --> 0:04:32.840 team here in the Double Bay store and would love 0:04:32.880 --> 0:04:35.560 to offer you a full time position. If you're interested, 0:04:35.600 --> 0:04:38.520 let's set up a call to discuss your salary. What 0:04:38.760 --> 0:04:40.800 the actual freakin' fuck. 0:04:41.400 --> 0:04:45.080 The Therapeutic Goods Administrator's new advertising code is set to 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:49.240 rock the influencer world. Under the new guidelines, influences can 0:04:49.279 --> 0:04:52.840 no longer be paid to provide their testimonials when advertising 0:04:52.920 --> 0:04:56.680 health products. Influencers and brands have until the thirtieth of 0:04:56.760 --> 0:04:59.839 June to ensure they understand and adhere to the new 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:03.479 rules now. The Australian first shared this news on the weekend, 0:05:03.600 --> 0:05:06.760 which has caused a lot of discussion and questions, So 0:05:06.800 --> 0:05:08.839 we thought we'd do a bit of an explainer before 0:05:08.880 --> 0:05:12.960 we get into what we think about the rules now. Firstly, Kate, 0:05:13.000 --> 0:05:15.920 there seems to be some confusion around exactly what this 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:19.359 rule means for influencers. Yeah, so initially it seemed like 0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:22.960 influencers weren't allowed to advertise certain health products at all, 0:05:23.040 --> 0:05:25.520 but that is not the case. So the new rules 0:05:25.560 --> 0:05:28.719 won't stop influencers from working with health product brands, but 0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:31.240 they will only be able to speak about the product's 0:05:31.279 --> 0:05:34.240 approved use and claims, and when they do so, they 0:05:34.320 --> 0:05:38.479 must also clearly label it as advertising. So essentially, these 0:05:38.480 --> 0:05:40.800 sorts of ads will be very obvious and there's not 0:05:40.839 --> 0:05:44.520 going to be any issues around influencers making misleading claims 0:05:44.560 --> 0:05:47.479 about the product. Now. What the rule does do, though, 0:05:47.600 --> 0:05:50.440 is it stops influencers from being paid to provide their 0:05:50.480 --> 0:05:54.400 personal experience and testimonials on products, and it's important to 0:05:54.440 --> 0:05:58.160 note that payment includes money, gifts, or other freebies. Now, 0:05:58.240 --> 0:06:00.920 influencers will be welcome to share their time testimonials, but 0:06:01.000 --> 0:06:03.360 can only do so if they buy the product themselves 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:07.400 and gain nothing in return. That is absolutely huge for 0:06:07.440 --> 0:06:10.480 the influencer space because despite the fact that they can 0:06:10.640 --> 0:06:13.960 still engage with ads if they stick to very much 0:06:14.000 --> 0:06:17.680 a vanilla explainer of what the products are, that's not 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:21.760 what consumers want. Consumers look for influencers to provide a 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:25.560 review and what they deem to be a genuine testimonial 0:06:25.600 --> 0:06:28.440 of the brand. Obviously, it's not necessarily going to be 0:06:28.520 --> 0:06:32.000 genuine because there is money exchanging hands, but those sort 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:35.360 of reviews are at the heart of influencer culture and 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:38.919 what influencers do. That's what they create their content around. 0:06:39.360 --> 0:06:41.400 See I personally think that this would have been bigger 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:44.640 news back in twenty fourteen when influencers were at the 0:06:44.680 --> 0:06:48.240 top of their game. People really loved influences, They really 0:06:48.279 --> 0:06:50.800 took on board what they said, and there was more 0:06:50.880 --> 0:06:54.359 authenticity around these reviews. However, these days, I think people 0:06:54.360 --> 0:06:57.000 can tell the difference between something that is genuine and 0:06:57.000 --> 0:07:00.200 something that is paid for, particularly when influencers now have 0:07:00.240 --> 0:07:02.400 to say whether it is or is not an AD 0:07:02.520 --> 0:07:05.680 when they are talking about products. So while I do 0:07:05.800 --> 0:07:08.599 think yes, this is big news, I do think that 0:07:08.640 --> 0:07:11.360 there are loopholes where influencers will still be able to 0:07:11.400 --> 0:07:14.720 sprute products. They just have to very much stay within 0:07:14.800 --> 0:07:16.640 the guide. I feel like people are going to tune 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:19.559 out even more from that type of advertising though, because 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:21.520 it just reminds me of the ads you see on 0:07:21.640 --> 0:07:24.000 TV when you sort of walk out of the room 0:07:24.080 --> 0:07:25.560 so you don't have to watch them. I feel like 0:07:25.600 --> 0:07:28.000 we're going to tune out even more and it is 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:31.160 going to give influences less power. But I do think 0:07:31.200 --> 0:07:34.560 it is helpful, particularly in the space where it's really 0:07:34.600 --> 0:07:38.280 important to have the correct messaging going out about health 0:07:38.320 --> 0:07:41.040 and wellness products. I think it is a really positive 0:07:41.120 --> 0:07:44.160 move because there's so much misinformation in that space and 0:07:44.200 --> 0:07:47.200 it's so dangerous. Yeah. Well, the TGA said that the 0:07:47.280 --> 0:07:50.120 changes were made because therapeutic goods should be chosen on 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:52.920 the basis of clinical need and not through the persuasion 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:56.040 of influencers, and the new code has made it very 0:07:56.080 --> 0:07:59.080 clear to advertisers of therapeutic goods that they must not 0:07:59.240 --> 0:08:02.600 engage influence is to provide testimonials. So it's going to 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:06.240 be really interesting to see how things go on June thirtieth, 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:09.239 when this is not allowed again. I think it's important 0:08:09.240 --> 0:08:11.440 to have a look at the products that are covered 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:14.360 by the rules, so influencers will not be able to 0:08:14.560 --> 0:08:19.480 give their testimonials on vitamins, supplements, protein powders, and skin 0:08:19.560 --> 0:08:23.280 products that make therapeutic claims. So these include acne related 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:26.760 products or anti aging products. They also can't give their 0:08:26.800 --> 0:08:31.320 personal testimonials on skin lightning products, sunscreens, and general health 0:08:31.360 --> 0:08:34.800 products and medicines. Now, I think it's this whole sunscreen 0:08:34.960 --> 0:08:37.520 aspect that has got a lot of people upset because I, 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:39.560 for one, think that the rules are great, but I 0:08:39.679 --> 0:08:43.480 don't think that they should apply to suncream. That's so true, Kate, 0:08:43.520 --> 0:08:45.360 because in the past couple of years, I feel like 0:08:45.400 --> 0:08:48.200 we've seen this dramatic switch and people have been talking 0:08:48.200 --> 0:08:51.400 more about sunscreen. We've seen our favorite influencers talking about 0:08:51.640 --> 0:08:55.080 the need to wear sunscreen and making it cool, and 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:57.080 I think it's really sad that we're going to lose 0:08:57.120 --> 0:09:00.840 that because that's one positive thing that influences can provide 0:09:00.880 --> 0:09:04.520 a huge influence over well. Cotney Mangen, who is a 0:09:04.559 --> 0:09:08.839 sunsafe advocate and has fought melanoma four times, said, I'm 0:09:08.920 --> 0:09:11.960 extremely disappointed to see that sunscreen was included in the 0:09:12.000 --> 0:09:15.880 list of products. However, products like tanning accelerators and tanning 0:09:15.880 --> 0:09:19.800 oils were not. I believe any discussion, paid or unpaid 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:23.160 around sunscreen will help save lives, and that's the bottom 0:09:23.160 --> 0:09:25.199 line for me. I do not think that there are 0:09:25.200 --> 0:09:28.240 any negatives to talking about wearing sunscreen and that it's 0:09:28.280 --> 0:09:32.000 only positive. There are already so many strict rules around 0:09:32.000 --> 0:09:34.600 when a company can even make a product that's a sunscreen, 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:37.520 and then there are already so many guidelines around what 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:39.800 you can and can't say when you are promoting a 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:42.760 sunscreen already, so to make it even more difficult I 0:09:42.760 --> 0:09:45.280 think will be harmful because people won't be talking about 0:09:45.280 --> 0:09:47.800 wearing sunscreen as much as they should and we should 0:09:47.840 --> 0:09:50.520 all be screaming it from the bloody rooftops. She went 0:09:50.559 --> 0:09:52.920 on to say, if it takes influences getting paid to 0:09:52.960 --> 0:09:55.680 talk about sunscreen, then I don't care what it takes, 0:09:55.880 --> 0:09:58.199 as long as people are talking about it. And if 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:00.800 this therefore means that sunscreen w doon't be promoted and 0:10:00.880 --> 0:10:03.400 discussed as much, that just breaks my heart because there 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:07.160 will be real life consequences for that discussion not happening. 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:09.560 Courtney has absolutely hit the nail on the head here 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:13.800 because the TGA strictly regulates the manufacturing of sunscreen in 0:10:13.840 --> 0:10:18.360 Australia and those rules are amongst the strictest in the world. Okay, 0:10:18.480 --> 0:10:21.920 some people are saying influencers should promote sunscreen for free. 0:10:22.200 --> 0:10:25.079 But realistically, going forward, you think that this is something 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:27.400 they're going to do. While I think there is a 0:10:27.480 --> 0:10:31.760 moral obligation, I think realistically influencers aren't going to be 0:10:31.760 --> 0:10:35.800 promoting sunscreen for free. And the thing is, do we 0:10:35.880 --> 0:10:40.600 expect other big marketing systems like broadcasts to just promote 0:10:40.920 --> 0:10:44.680 sunscreen brands for free? No, we don't expect that from them, 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:48.120 So why are we expecting it from predominantly young women 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:51.080 who are trying to make money off the platform. Yeah? 0:10:51.120 --> 0:10:54.120 I disagree there, Kate, because I think at the end 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:57.199 of the day, influencers, in order for them to be successful, 0:10:57.240 --> 0:10:59.440 they also have to sell us a particular type of 0:10:59.520 --> 0:11:02.520 live style and put out a lot of genuine content 0:11:02.679 --> 0:11:05.559 and share about their lives. So I think that it 0:11:05.600 --> 0:11:08.360 would be a good branding move for many of them 0:11:08.400 --> 0:11:12.760 to continue promoting sunscreen because as a viewer and a consumer, 0:11:12.880 --> 0:11:15.079 if we know that they're not getting paid to do that, 0:11:15.440 --> 0:11:18.040 we then buy into a lot more of their messaging. 0:11:18.160 --> 0:11:20.400 I mean, I don't think that's going to realistically happen, though, 0:11:20.480 --> 0:11:22.600 I think that on influencers are going to be promoting 0:11:22.640 --> 0:11:25.440 things that they're paid for, and particularly now, that there's 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:28.160 going to be some confusion around what exactly they can 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:30.800 say about things, And I mean the fact that it's 0:11:30.840 --> 0:11:33.160 going to be a lot of self reporting, so the 0:11:33.200 --> 0:11:36.240 general public are going to be dobbing influencers in and 0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:39.560 then the TGA will review that claim. And I feel 0:11:39.559 --> 0:11:42.040 like influencers aren't going to want to be aligning their 0:11:42.120 --> 0:11:45.400 names with sunscreen brands in the case that they may 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:47.719 have been sent one from Free a year ago and 0:11:47.800 --> 0:11:50.960 someone's going to try and catch them out. I just think, 0:11:51.040 --> 0:11:54.080 why not make it as easy as possible for influencers 0:11:54.120 --> 0:11:57.920 to promote something so good as sun safety and sunscreen. 0:11:58.160 --> 0:12:01.040 I mean, it's already so regulated. It sounds like many 0:12:01.080 --> 0:12:05.200 people within the sunsafe community will be speaking to members 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:08.359 of the TGA about this move and trying to overrule 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:11.480 it because it just makes absolutely no sense. Yeah. Well, 0:12:11.520 --> 0:12:15.400 it's quite interesting because another influencer has weighed into the topic, 0:12:15.440 --> 0:12:18.880 and that is Ruby Tuesday Matthews. Now, she said, whilst 0:12:18.920 --> 0:12:22.240 I completely agree for the need for more regulations, structure 0:12:22.280 --> 0:12:26.480 and accountability by brands and influencers within these industries, it 0:12:26.520 --> 0:12:28.920 makes me sad to think how many great small businesses 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:31.400 and startups This will affect. She went on to say, 0:12:31.440 --> 0:12:33.960 it also blows my mind that we are targeting health 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:37.760 and wellness brands encouraging a healthy lifestyle, but not alcohol 0:12:38.000 --> 0:12:41.120 or junk food. Now, I think it's important to add 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:44.560 that while Ruby's focus is on small businesses and startups, 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:47.880 she does earn money from promoting these type of products. 0:12:47.920 --> 0:12:51.720 So recently she promoted a functional beauty snack with apparent 0:12:51.760 --> 0:12:56.160 anti aging properties, as well as superfood brands and cosmaceutical 0:12:56.280 --> 0:12:58.480 skincare brands. So it does seem to be that she 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:01.760 is pushing her own agenda slightly here. I mean, while 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:03.960 I do think she is pushing her own agenda, I 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:06.320 do think that there is a concern for many small 0:13:06.360 --> 0:13:11.240 businesses who do rely on influencer marketing because I don't 0:13:11.280 --> 0:13:13.760 think that they're going to be selling many products through 0:13:13.840 --> 0:13:16.560 these revised rules. They are going to be having to 0:13:16.640 --> 0:13:19.360 pivot and look at other ways to promote their products, 0:13:19.400 --> 0:13:25.120 potentially through Facebook advertising, Instagram advertising, or public relations. And 0:13:25.160 --> 0:13:27.880 I do really feel for those who have started businesses 0:13:28.240 --> 0:13:31.040 with influencer marketing very much at the forefront. I mean, 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:33.400 there's so many brands that spring to mind that use 0:13:33.520 --> 0:13:36.760 influencer promotions at the heart of what they do. I mean, 0:13:36.800 --> 0:13:40.000 think about JS health. I have seen so many influencers 0:13:40.040 --> 0:13:43.040 sprooking their products. What are they going to do now? 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:46.000 Are they going to be pushing everyday testimonials? Because they 0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:48.520 do have a good batch of those, but I do 0:13:48.600 --> 0:13:51.960 think they need to be propelled further by influencers, Like 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:54.560 how do you get those everyday testimonials out to people? 0:13:54.600 --> 0:13:57.679 I suppose it will be a case of Facebook marketing 0:13:58.000 --> 0:14:00.640 and retargeting, but I wonder that's going to have the 0:14:00.640 --> 0:14:03.720 same effect. Well, what about the influencers, Because many people 0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:07.880 are questioning what long term effects this ruling will have 0:14:08.000 --> 0:14:10.880 on influencers careers. What do you think, Kate? Look To 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:13.679 be honest, I think that there is enough wriggle room 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:16.439 in the rules at the moment that if they stick 0:14:16.480 --> 0:14:18.319 to a script, they are still going to be able 0:14:18.360 --> 0:14:21.360 to earn money for promoting a product. And I don't 0:14:21.440 --> 0:14:24.280 understand where these brands are going to go elsewhere because 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:27.960 they still need to hit these influential people to get 0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:30.400 their brand out there. Okay, it's not going to be 0:14:30.520 --> 0:14:33.000 as genuine, but it's still going to be something. And 0:14:33.040 --> 0:14:36.520 I think people already know the influencers promote products. I mean, 0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:40.120 maybe this could be the start of the influencer industry dying. 0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:42.240 Who knows, But there needs to be something that actually 0:14:42.400 --> 0:14:45.240 replaces it, and I don't know what that could be 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:47.840 at the moment. There's also been a lot of questions 0:14:47.880 --> 0:14:51.360 about influencers who run their own business in the health space. 0:14:51.400 --> 0:14:55.360 So someone like Georgie Stevenson, who runs protein and supplement 0:14:55.360 --> 0:14:58.520 brand Naked Harvest, is she going to be allowed to 0:14:58.560 --> 0:15:01.920 promote her own products talk about her own experiences with 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:05.720 those products seeing as she has created the brand. Well no, 0:15:05.920 --> 0:15:08.320 because she's an influencer, like she is going to have 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:11.120 to stick to the guidelines like everyone else, and there 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:12.800 are going to be a lot of people in her boat. 0:15:12.840 --> 0:15:15.720 I mean, there are so many health and fitness influencers 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:20.600 that literally all they do is promote supplements and protein powders. 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:23.360 I mean, Sarah's Day comes to mind, and I do 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:26.280 wonder if these influencers are going to have to pivot. 0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:28.440 Maybe they're going to start wearing a lot more makeup 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:30.800 than they used to and do reviews on their makeup 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:33.560 that they're using. Maybe some of them are going to say, hm, 0:15:33.720 --> 0:15:35.520 I've got to get out of the health of fitness space. 0:15:35.600 --> 0:15:37.480 Maybe I'm going to become a mummy blogger. Like I 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:39.640 think that we're going to see a lot of influencers 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:44.040 pivoting from what they normally do. What nothing. We haven't 0:15:44.040 --> 0:15:45.920 done anything if we saw it. No, we haven't been 0:15:45.920 --> 0:15:49.000 anywhere near your Facebook page. Oh, for fuck's sake, Well 0:15:49.080 --> 0:15:49.560 you've done. 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:52.520 Oh you've changed my profile picked to a fat naked 0:15:52.560 --> 0:15:55.080 man and you've changed my status to win is fingering 0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:55.640 his cat. 0:15:55.720 --> 0:15:58.960 The Mescia Twins' latest YouTube video is attracting a lot 0:15:59.000 --> 0:16:01.880 of attention, not because of its content, but due to 0:16:01.920 --> 0:16:04.760 the comments section. Before we get into it, amy, who 0:16:04.880 --> 0:16:08.560 are the Mescier Twins. So. The popular social media duo 0:16:08.680 --> 0:16:11.440 is made up of twenty one year olds Olivia and Ashley. 0:16:11.720 --> 0:16:14.920 The identical twins began garnering a huge following in twenty 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:18.840 sixteen when they started sharing their daily lives, beauty, fashion 0:16:18.880 --> 0:16:22.760 and lifestyle advice across Instagram and YouTube. On Instagram, they've 0:16:22.760 --> 0:16:26.280 amasked a following of six hundred and sixty eight thousand followers. 0:16:26.480 --> 0:16:29.160 They also have two million followers on TikTok and four 0:16:29.280 --> 0:16:32.920 hundred and twenty six subscribers on YouTube. They also started 0:16:32.920 --> 0:16:36.080 their own fitness program called Meskier Twin Fit. So so 0:16:36.520 --> 0:16:39.360 it was the comments under their most recent YouTube video 0:16:39.520 --> 0:16:42.760 which has garnered all the attention. Yeah that's right. Underneath 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:46.680 the girl's recent video about their adventures in Hawaii, there 0:16:46.560 --> 0:16:49.200 were comments which really stood out and led to many 0:16:49.200 --> 0:16:53.760 people questioning whether the girls purchased YouTube comments. So seven 0:16:53.800 --> 0:16:56.880 of the comments underneath the video said ah, that was 0:16:56.920 --> 0:17:00.160 so esthetically pleasing to watch. I don't even know why. 0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:03.800 I love you guys so much. Hope you have fun now. 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:06.600 All seven of those posts also had the same grammar 0:17:06.640 --> 0:17:08.679 because there were no full stop, so they were the 0:17:09.200 --> 0:17:13.120 seven identical comments. There were also three comments that all 0:17:13.160 --> 0:17:17.360 said ash, your energy is radiating in this video. Love 0:17:17.440 --> 0:17:20.200 this video, and so grateful we get to follow this 0:17:20.359 --> 0:17:23.640 journey with you. There were also a further seven comments 0:17:23.680 --> 0:17:27.680 that said literally, love you guys so much. Such inspirations now. 0:17:27.720 --> 0:17:30.720 Those with all from different people, so different accounts of 0:17:30.800 --> 0:17:34.160 posting these yes now. The names of those commenting also 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:38.040 raised eyebrows because some of the accounts were called Janice 0:17:38.160 --> 0:17:41.920 fuck me, check my profile, Megan tap me to sex 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:45.960 with me, Madeline, I am addicted to sex Madison, fuck 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:49.040 me check my profile and the profile pictures accompanying these 0:17:49.080 --> 0:17:52.240 accounts were also of a pornographic nature, so they look 0:17:52.440 --> 0:17:54.480 like bot account What do you mean? These could be 0:17:54.680 --> 0:18:00.119 genuine messier twin fans about now? I feel like most 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:04.120 of us are aware that some influencers, particularly micro influencers 0:18:04.440 --> 0:18:06.960 or those looking to get noticed by brands, will purchase 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:09.440 followers and even likes to try and build a name 0:18:09.480 --> 0:18:12.720 for themselves, but some people will be surprised to find 0:18:12.720 --> 0:18:16.720 out that this also happens for comments, particularly those on YouTube. 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:20.479 And the reason why people by YouTube comments is to 0:18:20.520 --> 0:18:24.920 increase their growth, status and engagement levels, while others do 0:18:25.000 --> 0:18:28.560 it to influence the perception of the business or brand. 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:31.840 And it is really interesting because YouTube has a number 0:18:31.880 --> 0:18:35.080 of different metrics that it uses to rank videos, and 0:18:35.480 --> 0:18:38.440 engagement is of course one of them. So if many 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:42.000 people are finding the content interesting enough on a video, 0:18:42.480 --> 0:18:45.199 they will comment on it, so YouTube sensors that this 0:18:45.320 --> 0:18:48.600 comment should be seen by more viewers and consequently puts 0:18:48.600 --> 0:18:51.480 it out to more people. Therefore, if a video is 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:54.320 receiving a lot of bought comments, that video will be 0:18:54.400 --> 0:18:57.919 favored by YouTube's algorithm. And put out to more people. 0:18:58.040 --> 0:19:00.159 If I was a Mescier Twins, I'd be one a 0:19:00.200 --> 0:19:03.040 refund because they clearly haven't paid too much money to 0:19:03.040 --> 0:19:05.680 get these comments with those sort of names attached to 0:19:05.720 --> 0:19:09.080 the profiles. Do you think they selected the comments that 0:19:09.119 --> 0:19:12.040 they wrote because it sounded like something that I have 0:19:12.200 --> 0:19:16.119 seen stands writing on other YouTuber's walls. I mean, not 0:19:16.200 --> 0:19:18.480 seven times, but just the once. Well that's the thing. 0:19:18.560 --> 0:19:20.639 After doing a little bit of research on the topic, 0:19:20.680 --> 0:19:23.240 I found out that there is actually a difference between 0:19:23.280 --> 0:19:28.000 purchasing real comments and bot comments. So purchase comments, which 0:19:28.040 --> 0:19:31.880 are apparently real are usually from freelancers, so they are 0:19:31.920 --> 0:19:35.280 made from humans and are less likely to be identified 0:19:35.280 --> 0:19:38.800 by YouTube's algorithm, whereas fake comments come from bots and 0:19:38.840 --> 0:19:42.080 they are usually a bunch of words jumble together which 0:19:42.119 --> 0:19:45.879 don't really mean much, or just generic things like follow 0:19:45.960 --> 0:19:48.359 us for this. Yes, but there are many companies online 0:19:48.359 --> 0:19:52.760 who do sell YouTube comments, so these YouTube comments in question, 0:19:52.840 --> 0:19:55.440 they were probably not put out obviously by a genuine 0:19:55.480 --> 0:19:58.879 company that has a high quality service. The other theory 0:19:59.040 --> 0:20:02.920 is that potentially the girls are involved in an engagement pod, 0:20:02.960 --> 0:20:05.479 and we have spoken about them on the podcast before. 0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:08.359 But if you haven't listened. Basically, they are a group 0:20:08.359 --> 0:20:11.359 of users that come together to like and comment on 0:20:11.400 --> 0:20:14.200 each other's posts with the purpose of gaining greater reach. 0:20:14.480 --> 0:20:16.639 So what happens is someone will share a link in 0:20:16.680 --> 0:20:19.159 the group and urge the people in the group to 0:20:19.240 --> 0:20:21.879 go and like the photo and also comment, and sometimes 0:20:22.080 --> 0:20:25.240 people will give examples of the sort of comments they'd 0:20:25.320 --> 0:20:27.920 like users to share. Surely they're not doing that because 0:20:27.960 --> 0:20:31.360 they are so big on social media. Surely someone would screenshop, 0:20:31.560 --> 0:20:34.520 but also with the account names as well, Like I 0:20:34.640 --> 0:20:36.560 think it would be more, you know, if it was 0:20:36.600 --> 0:20:39.440 all of because engagement pods are usually all the people 0:20:39.520 --> 0:20:41.159 are in there for the same reason, they want to 0:20:41.200 --> 0:20:44.000 become influencers, and they're all sort of the similar demographic. 0:20:44.520 --> 0:20:46.200