This chapter uncovers the disturbing trend of mothers managing young girls' Instagram accounts in an influencer economy, where girls are often portrayed in a sexualized manner for adult male followers. It discusses societal influences that pressure children into influencer careers and the potential harms of children growing up as influencers online. The conversation also highlights the responsibility of platforms and parents in safeguarding children from exploitative behavior on social media.
Brené interviews New York Times journalists Jennifer Valentino-DeVries and Michael H. Keller, who talk about their investigation into girl influencers and what's driving the larger influencer culture across social media. This is the fourth episode in our series on the possibilities and costs of living beyond human scale.
Please note: As part of this conversation, we talk about the pervasive sexualization of young girl influencers (and girls in general) and the predatory nature of the comments they receive online.
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