Many people embellish their reality before posting something online. On social media, it’s not uncommon to notice filters taking care of certain “imperfections” people don’t like or find pictures that are not exactly representative of the poster's real life.
Social media not being representative of people’s actual lives is what TikToker Kaila Uli discussed in a series of videos that went viral. The California-based entrepreneur revealed that content creators in the area can rent everything from empty bags of iconic upscale brands to mansions and private jets, which allows them to create an image of living a wealthy lifestyle, when in reality, they might not have much more than a mattress.
Scroll down to find Kaila’s videos below, where you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with her, discussing the possible reasons for people playing rich and the consequences of it all.
Some people use social media to create an image of living a lavish lifestyle
Image credits: Ahmet ÇÖTÜR (not the actual photo)
Kaila went viral on TikTok after she revealed how content creators in LA can fake being rich for social media
Image credits: kailauli
“I'm not naming no names, but I wish you guys knew how easy it is to fake being wealthy for the internet here in LA. A lot of those big money guys and your favorite creators don't live where you think they live.”
Image credits: kailauli
“So up the street from here, we have this hundred-million-dollar mansion that costs $90 an hour to rent out. A lot of creators rent that space once a week, film their content, and make it look like they live there. Rent a Lamborghini or a Ferrari, 99 bucks an hour.”
Image credits: kailauli
“It gets crazier because most people in LA have a following. Because to be a model or an actor, there's a lot of casting calls you can't go to unless you have a following. What used to happen is when you got with an agency, they would dump you a bunch of bots.”
Image credits: kailauli
“Now most people really saw that damages an account, but the metrics are still there. And since most people don't know how to do that, they end up buying followers, likes, comments, shares, everything. So they can go to casting calls and keep their agency. There's even more because there's agency-funded houses out here. Anyone who's part of that agency can go film there and make it look like they live there. And they encourage you to do this because it looks better for the internet.”
Image credits: kailauli
“But there's even more because we also have designer rental services. It's between three and eight hundred dollars a month, and you get bags, shoes, sunglasses, clothing, anything you need. All designer. Just wear it, get your pictures, and then send it back. As long as you don't ruin it, you don't have to pay for it.”
Image credits: kailauli
“You can fully construct a lifestyle out here of wealth. And that's part of the reason we're starting to get a bunch of influencer debt resolution companies now. Like, you don't need to feel bad about yourself. Just wear the 10-cent shirt from the thrift store. Nobody cares, I promise you.”
Image credits: kailauli
“Build your content around something else. You don't have to look rich to be a creator.”
Image credits: kailauli
The first of Kaila’s videos on the topic gathered nearly two million views
In her second video, the TikToker showed some examples of things you can rent and how costly they are
In part three, Kaila focused on people's comments showing that faking a rich lifestyle was rooted deeper than she anticipated
Some content creators believe that they have to look rich to be taken seriously
It’s by no means a secret that what we see on social media is not always representative of reality. Despite the vast majority of people saying—granted, that being ten years ago—that they believe to be representing themselves on social media the way they are in real life, close to one-in-five admit that they don’t, Statista reports.
It’s difficult to say why one would lie about their life on social media; the reasons likely differ with each person. But as for the content creators in LA, Kaila believes that they do it because of the pressure to prove themselves worthy of being taken seriously.
“The pressure of ‘keeping up with the Jones’ has moved online,” she told Bored Panda in a recent interview. “There’s this invisible bar to ‘look’ rich in order to be legitimate. Whether it’s selling a course, being an ‘it girl’ or being a fledgling creator, it’s almost like if you don’t have those things other creators won’t take you seriously.”
The woman emphasized that that is a dangerous game to play. “Many of these things [that can be rented] were designed for movies and photoshoots – influencers just realized it was something they could use. I think it’s incredibly damaging because it gives people the illusion that everyone online is getting rich off content. I saw a survey that most young folks in the U.S. aspire to be an influencer above everything else.”
A study carried out by Higher Visibility found that more than a third of representatives of Gen Z in the US say they want to become social media influencers. The idea is so instilled in their minds that as much as 20% of Gen Z males and 13% of females believe that following such a path is the only choice of career for them.
Image credits: Frames For Your Heart (not the actual photo)
An unrealistic standard of living portrayed on social media can have serious detrimental outcomes
Garnering millions of likes and views, so-called influencers influence not only social media users, but businesses, too. Discussing the effects of people being able to rent whatever they need to create their content, Kaila pointed out that it can be extremely damaging to local enterprises.
“There’s a lot of mom-and-pop shops that don’t understand how to vet creators and give them free clothing, food, gifts, or inventory, all in the hopes of making money or boosting brand awareness when they’re posted to the influencer’s page, not realizing it’s just a bunch of bots and they’re wasting their money."
The woman continued to add that taking online content without the necessary grain of salt can have serious detrimental consequences. “The reason I decided to speak on this was because quite frankly, I had been bottling it up for years – I’m from LA and over the years I’ve seen friends go into debt, sacrifice real opportunity, skip college, uproot from their hometowns, to pursue a lifestyle they don’t realize is fake,” she told Bored Panda. “So many of my friends are large influencers with the perfect life online, meanwhile working multiple jobs and packing into tiny houses to even afford living here.”
Image credits: Vita Vilcina (not the actual photo)
Fellow TikTokers shared their views on people faking being wealthy for social media
