Influencer backlash grows over disruptive public stunts
Public stunts by content creators face major pushback as Kayce Smith of the Barstool College Football Show joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to break down recent disruptive incidents. From a mid-match photoshoot at the U.S. Open to golf tournament heckling, she discusses why crowds are growing tired of influencer antics.
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Everyday Americans are growing increasingly annoyed by social media influencer stunts and takeovers at famous landmarks, major events and vacation destinations once prized for the enjoyment, relaxation and serenity they usually bring — all for the sake of a few self-promoting photos, videos and “likes.”
From locations as varied as sports stadiums and luxury resorts, influencers are now facing bans, arrests and rejection this summer.
Numerous onlookers have had enough, as Fox News Digital and other outlets have been reporting.
SOCIAL MEDIA PHOTO CRAZE SPARKS TOURIST INVASION AT PICTURE-PERFECT VACATION HOT SPOT
Here are just a few of the hot spots where social media influencers have been wearing out their welcome — and ruining experiences for everyday Americans as well as local business owners.
1. Hudson Valley, New York
OpenAI, an artificial-intelligence technology company, hosted a group of content creators in August for a “Summer Camp” trip at Wildflower Farms, a luxury retreat in Upstate New York’s Hudson Valley.
Americans are growing increasingly outraged over influencer interjections at a variety of locations. This summer, many content creators have pushed the as locals expressed frustration with the incidents. (iStock)
The retreat sparked controversy, with many blasting the nature-focused getaway given concerns about the environmental toll of data centers needed to power AI.
ONCE-GLAMOROUS VACATION SPOT OVERRUN BY INFLUENCERS AND CROWDS: ‘ALMOST UNBEARABLE’
“Sending them to nature before they turn it into a data center,” one X user wrote.
An OpenAI spokesperson defended the trip, telling The Hollywood Reporter that creators are an important part of the company’s community and that they play a part in how people learn about products — adding that OpenAI welcomes healthy debate.
2. The World Cup
Argentinian YouTube content creators Lautaro “Beni” Mármol, 20, and Patricio “Pato” Perrotta, 26, were arrested at this year’s World Cup.
They were charged with interference at a sporting event after authorities said they bypassed three layers of security.
Two Argentinian YouTube creators were arrested at the World Cup after authorities said they bypassed multiple layers of security. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office wrote in arrest reports that Mármol said he was a media influencer trying to get in to stream the game, and that Perrotta said he was “hired by a media company to review the event and has credentials, but they were from a previous event,” as WPLG Local 10 reported.
3. Nantucket, Massachusetts
An island about 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Nantucket is accessible only by airplane or ferry. That remote access has long made it an exclusive and much-loved summer destination for many.
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But content creators have been infuriating a number of locals.
Four Winds Craft Guild, a third-generation business approaching its 100th year, recently hung a sign saying, “No Influencers,” as Fox News Digital previously reported.
Nantucket, a prized destination, is accessible only by airplane or ferry — but now social media influencers have been making their presence known. (iStock)
Store owner John Sylvia told The New York Times that it sometimes appears his store is a stage.
“I don’t have this hatred toward influencers,” he clarified. “It was more of a joke. It is a problem we should look at as a society.”
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Sylvia’s partner, Jessica Jenkins, told the outlet she felt deluged by “people creating videos on corners of themselves sipping an iced coffee and looking over their shoulder and doing a shoe kick or whatever.”
Fox News Digital previously reached out to Four Winds Craft Guild for comment.
4. Baja California Sur, Mexico
In early August, Aman Hotels was at the center of a dispute with a YouTuber who attempted to stay at the luxury hospitality group’s new Amanvari resort on the East Cape of Baja California Sur, Mexico.
A dispute between a luxury resort and a YouTube hotel reviewer spilled onto social media after the creator was denied entry. Pictured above is a beach resort in Los Cabos, Mexico. (Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images)
Hotel reviewer Ryan Walker posted a video to YouTube alleging he paid $4,663 for a one-night stay at Amanvari — claiming the hotel canceled his reservation and called the police when he arrived.
Aman took issue with Walker’s account. As The Wall Street Journal reported, Amanvari emailed Walker five days before his stay and asked him to postpone because the resort was under a month-long media blackout.
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The resort told him he was welcome — but that he could not film in public areas and would need permission to do so in private spaces, the outlet said.
YouTuber Allen Ferrell was banned for life from visiting all Six Flags parks not long ago.
He posted a viral video that appeared to show him trying to eat chicken nuggets while riding a famous roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, which is owned by Six Flags, as Fox News Digital previously reported.
A viral stunt involving chicken nuggets and Cedar Point’s Millennium Force resulted in a YouTuber being permanently banned from Six Flags parks. (Tricia Spaulding/Lexington Herald-Leader/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Six Flags said food and other loose items are prohibited on rides because these items can create safety hazards.
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Kelly McGreal of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.
